Premium
Early exposure to a methyl donor supplemented diet and the development of repetitive motor behavior in a mouse model
Author(s) -
Muehlmann Amber M.,
Bliznyuk Nikolay,
Duerr Isaac,
Yang Thomas P.,
Lewis Mark H.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21914
Subject(s) - motor activity , motor behavior , psychology , developmental psychology , animal model , neuroscience , audiology , medicine
Motor behaviors that are repetitive and exhibit little variability in form are common in neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder). C58 mice exhibit persistent, high levels of repetitive motor behavior when reared in restricted, but not enriched, environments implicating epigenetic mechanisms (e.g., DNA methylation). We sought to determine if alteration of DNA methylation played a role in the development of repetitive behavior in C58 mice. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that early exposure (in utero and preweaning) to a methyl donor supplemented diet would alter the developmental trajectory of repetitive behavior. Such dietary exposure resulted in significant attenuation of repetitive motor behavior development, persisting through early adulthood. This was despite mice being housed in standard cages and maintained on a standard diet, postweaning. Early exposure to methyl donor supplementation not only affected the frequency of repetitive behavior but also its temporal structure, resulting in more variable patterns of repetitive behavior. Early exposure to the diet was also shown to induce long‐lasting increases in DNA methylation in brain tissue of female mice. The role for alterations in DNA methylation in this model may be one mechanism accounting for the robust effects of the environment on the development of repetitive behavior.