Wim Crusio Research Mouse model of autism
Crusio has recently looked into the possibility that 'Fmr1' knockout mice can perhaps be used as a model for autism. The Fragile X syndrome is caused by a deficiency of the 'FMR1' gene. Patients often show autistic symptoms. A good mouse model for the Fragile X syndrome is available because there are mice in which the 'Fmr1' gene has been changed so that it does not work any more. A review of the work that has been done with these mice in many different laboratorie did indeed show that these animals have autistic-like symptoms. For example, they show changes in social behavior and this is a key symptom of autism.