Assigning incentive emotional valence to sensory and social stimuli: neuronal and behavioral substrates in the SHANK3 mutant mouse model of autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by impaired social interaction skills and verbal and nonverbal communication. These symptoms are often associated with an inability or difficulties in recognizing one's own and others' emotions and in attributing appropriate emotional meanings to experiences and socially relevant stimuli, such as faces and voices. In subjects with autism, there is a lack of attention to socially-relevant stimuli, and difficulty in establishing emotional contact with another person.

In this project, we aim to analyze the brain and behavioral mechanisms underlying the difficulty of assigning an appropriate emotional meaning to sensory stimuli and social experiences in an experimental animal model of autism. Our project stems from studies carried out by our and other research groups that have shown the existence of neurons in the brain that serve to associate an emotional meaning with sensory stimuli, such as the sound of a voice to a loved one or a face to a potential hazard. These neurons are distributed in various areas of the brain, from those responsible for emotional analysis (such as the amygdala) to those that process sensory stimuli (the sensory cortices). Therefore, we will analyze whether the activity of such neurons can be compromised and whether this alteration can participate in the genesis of emotional and social deficits. Furthermore, in the last part of the study, we will verify whether a pharmacological therapy aimed at improving associative brain plasticity can improve brain activity and restore appropriate emotional and social behaviors.