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Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Promotes Neurogenesis and Ameliorates Autism Related Behaviors in BTBR Mice
Author(s) -
SegalGavish Hadar,
Karvat Golan,
Barak Noy,
Barzilay Ran,
Ganz Javier,
Edry Liat,
Aharony Israel,
Offen Daniel,
Kimchi Tali
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
autism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.656
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1939-3806
pISSN - 1939-3792
DOI - 10.1002/aur.1530
Subject(s) - neurogenesis , neurotrophic factors , mesenchymal stem cell , autism , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , transplantation , brain derived neurotrophic factor , psychology , neural stem cell , hippocampus , stem cell , medicine , biology , pathology , psychiatry , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by social communication deficits, cognitive rigidity, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have a paracrine regenerative effect, and were speculated to be a potential therapy for ASD. The BTBR inbred mouse strain is a commonly used model of ASD as it demonstrates robust behavioral deficits consistent with the diagnostic criteria for ASD. BTBR mice also exhibit decreased brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling and reduced hippocampal neurogenesis. In the current study, we evaluated the behavioral and molecular effects of intracerebroventricular MSC transplantation in BTBR mice. Transplantation of MSC resulted in a reduction of stereotypical behaviors, a decrease in cognitive rigidity and an improvement in social behavior. Tissue analysis revealed elevated BDNF protein levels in the hippocampus accompanied by increased hippocampal neurogenesis in the MSC‐transplanted mice compared with sham treated mice. This might indicate a possible mechanism underpinning the behavioral improvement. Our study suggests a novel therapeutic approach which may be translatable to ASD patients in the future. Autism Res 2015 . © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.