Habituation of exploratory behaviour in VPA rats: animal model of autism

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with multifactorial aetiology, represented as impairment in social behaviour, communication and the occurrence of repetitive activities, which can be observed in the early life. The core features are frequently accompanied by other manifestations, including limited environmental exploration. The aim of the presented study, realised on an animal model of autism – VPA rats, i.e. animals prenatally affected with valproic acid on gestation day 12.5, was to investigate the habituation process of exploratory activity (manifested by a gradual decrease in the intensity of locomotor activity), which reflects the stage of the central nervous system. VPA rats were tested in open-field in three developmental periods – weaning (postnatal day 21 – PND 21), puberty (PND 42) and adulthood (PND 72). In each period of ontogenesis, the rapidity of habituation was evaluated by using the method of linear regression. Compared to controls, VPA rats showed a significant decrease in the intensity and an increase in the rapidity of exploratory activity habituation during puberty and adulthood. Our results indicate that the animal model of autism, i.e. VPA rats, showed disabilities in the development of the nervous system. These findings can help confirm not only the validity of this animal model of autism but can also help better understand neuronal changes in humans with autism.

A Developmental Study of Abnormal Behaviors and Altered GABAergic Signaling in the VPA-Treated Rat Model of Autism

“…Clinical studies have shown that exposure to VPA in utero is associated with birth defects, cognitive deficits, and increased risk of autism (Nadebaum et al, 2011 ). Our data demonstrate that VPA-treated rats also exhibited autism-like behaviors and deficits in the reflex development, motor coordination, auditory and visual development, which are consistent with clinical symptoms of patients with autism and the findings of other labs’ using VPA-induced rodent models of autism (Snow et al, 2008 ; Mehta et al, 2011 ; Favre et al, 2013 ; Olexová et al, 2013 , 2016 ; Ha et al, 2017 ).…”

Characterization of the locomotor activities of zebrafish larvae under the influence of various neuroactive drugs

“…It is well known that prenatal exposure to valproic acid could result in neurodevelopmental disorder during adolescence (29). The offspring of pregnant Wistar rats that received an intraperitoneal injection of 600 mg/kg valproic acid demonstrated declined spontaneous movements during puberty and maturity compared with rat offspring not treated with valproic acid (30). In our work, high concentration (500 μM) of valproic acid significantly reduced the spontaneous movement of zebrafish larvae under both light and dark conditions.…”

A Systematic Review of the Valproic-Acid-Induced Rodent Model of Autism

“…The age at which offspring were tested resulted in a number of relevant outcomes, likely specific to VPA exposure. Interestingly, older ages in the VPA groups had decreased social [66] and total [67] exploration than younger VPA-exposed rodents. Older VPA-exposed rodents had a lower discrimination index in the novel object recognition test compared to younger VPA rodents [68].…”