Ultrasonic Communication in Mouse Models of Autism

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by 1) aberrant reciprocal social interactions, 2) deficits in social communication, and 3) repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behaviors, along with narrow restricted interests. Designing mouse behavioral assays with face validity to the three core symptoms of autism in humans is a daunting challenge for behavioral neuroscientists. Mice produce vocalizations in the ultrasonic range, i.e. clearly above the human frequency threshold and therefore not audible to humans. Such ultrasonic vocalizations serve as situation-dependent affective signals and convey important communicative information. Measuring the emission of ultrasonic vocalizations and the behavioral responses to ultrasonic vocalizations in playback experiments provides therefore an unique tool to study communication in mice. This is of high relevance for mouse models of autism, since delayed language and poor communication skills are fundamental to the diagnosis of autism.