DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0910297106. Mouse neurexin-1α deletion causes correlated electrophysiological and behavioral changes consistent with cognitive impairments

Mouse neurexin-1α deletion causes correlated electrophysiological and behavioral changes consistent with cognitive impairments

10.1073/pnas.0910297106

Crossref journal-article

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (341)

Abstract

Deletions in the neurexin-1α gene were identified in large-scale unbiased screens for copy-number variations in patients with autism or schizophrenia. To explore the underlying biology, we studied the electrophysiological and behavioral phenotype of mice lacking neurexin-1α. Hippocampal slice physiology uncovered a defect in excitatory synaptic strength in neurexin-1α deficient mice, as revealed by a decrease in miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) frequency and in the input-output relation of evoked postsynaptic potentials. This defect was specific for excitatory synaptic transmission, because no change in inhibitory synaptic transmission was observed in the hippocampus. Behavioral studies revealed that, compared with littermate control mice, neurexin-1α deficient mice displayed a decrease in prepulse inhibition, an increase in grooming behaviors, an impairment in nest-building activity, and an improvement in motor learning. However, neurexin-1α deficient mice did not exhibit any obvious changes in social behaviors or in spatial learning. Together, these data indicate that the neurexin-1α deficiency induces a discrete neural phenotype whose extent correlates, at least in part, with impairments observed in human patients.

Bibliography

Etherton, M. R., Blaiss, C. A., Powell, C. M., & SÃ¼dhof, T. C. (2009). Mouse neurexin-1Î± deletion causes correlated electrophysiological and behavioral changes consistent with cognitive impairments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(42), 17998â18003.

Authors 4

Mark R. Etherton (first)
Cory A. Blaiss (additional)
Craig M. Powell (additional)
Thomas C. Südhof (additional)

References 61 Referenced 382

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Dates

Type	When
Created	15 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 12, 2009, 9:47 p.m.)
Deposited	3 years, 4 months ago (April 12, 2022, 7:02 p.m.)
Indexed	6 days, 13 hours ago (Aug. 20, 2025, 8:22 a.m.)
Issued	15 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 20, 2009)
Published	15 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 20, 2009)
Published Online	15 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 20, 2009)
Published Print	15 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 20, 2009)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Etherton_2009, title={Mouse neurexin-1α deletion causes correlated electrophysiological and behavioral changes consistent with cognitive impairments}, volume={106}, ISSN={1091-6490}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910297106}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.0910297106}, number={42}, journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, publisher={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, author={Etherton, Mark R. and Blaiss, Cory A. and Powell, Craig M. and Südhof, Thomas C.}, year={2009}, month=oct, pages={17998–18003} }

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