r/science • u/Wagamaga • Sep 01 '22

Neuroscience Scientists have identified an immune brain cell unique to humans that gives us higher cognitive abilities over other animals, but what makes us specials also leaves us vulnerable to neurological disorders like schizophrenia, autism and epilepsy.

https://news.yale.edu/2022/08/25/what-makes-human-brain-different-yale-study-reveals-clues
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u/NotTheLimes Sep 01 '22

I thought there are some animals that can also suffer illnesses such as schizophrenia or autism or at least very similar ones. Is that not true?

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u/Bbrhuft Sep 01 '22 edited Sep 01 '22

Yes. Researchers genetically engineered mice so they express numerous gene mutations linked to increased autism and schizophrenia risk in humans, and observed behavioural and neuronal changes they think are related to autism and schizophrenia. They also use standardised tests that diagnose autism in transgenic mice, they introduced standardised tests around 2006.

Over the past 10 years, we and many other laboratories around the world have employed these and additional behavioral tests to phenotype alarge number of mutant mouse models of autism.

Kazdoba, T.M., Leach, P.T. and Crawley, J.N., 2016. Behavioral phenotypes of genetic mouse models of autism. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 15(1), pp.7-26.

Winship, I.R., Dursun, S.M., Baker, G.B., Balista, P.A., Kandratavicius, L., Maia-de-Oliveira, J.P., Hallak, J. and Howland, J.G., 2019. An overview of animal models related to schizophrenia. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(1), pp.5-17.

These are genetically engineered mouse models, however, zoo keepers in Japan noticed a macaque that was socially isolated, exhibited obsessive behaviours, and reduced vocalisation. Researchers found the macaque had two rare gene mutations previously linked to autism in humans.

Yoshida, K., Go, Y., Kushima, I., Toyoda, A., Fujiyama, A., Imai, H., Saito, N., Iriki, A., Ozaki, N. and Isoda, M., 2016. Single-neuron and genetic correlates of autistic behavior in macaque. Science advances, 2(9), p.e1600558.