Altered expression of circadian rhythm and extracellular matrix genes in the medial prefrontal cortex of a valproic acid rat model of autism.

ABSTRACT: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a highly heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by complex interplay between various genes and environmental factors during embryonic development. Changes at the molecular, cellular and neuroanatomical levels are especially evident in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of ASD patients and are particularly contributing to social impairments. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that altered neuronal development and plasticity, as seen in the mPFC of ASD individuals, may result from aberrant expression of functionally connected genes. Towards this end, we combined transcriptome sequencing and computational gene ontology analysis to identify the molecular networks impaired in the mPFC of a valproic acid (VPA) rat model of autis

SUBMITTER: Olde Loohuis NFM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5502527 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature