Absence of Transporter Leads to Reduced Locomotion and Reduced Social Interaction (IMAGE)

Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Absence of Transporter Leads to Reduced Locomotion and Reduced Social Interaction

Caption

A healthy blood-brain barrier (left side) where a transporter allows certain amino acids into the brain is compared to the case where the transporter is missing (right side). When the transporter is present the mice actively move around and socially interact with each other. This is measured by the scientists by tracking the movements of the mice (locomotion pattern in the middle) as well as their positions (map in the lower right). When the transporter is absent, the mice move less and tend to stay apart (seen as the two separate red dots in the map) demonstrating less interest for social contact -- a measure of autism-associate behavior.

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Tarlungeanu/IST

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