August 20, 1999 ATLANTA (Cox News Service) - A snuggling pile of furry brown rodents, no larger than a kiwi, has provided Emory University scientists with a clue to why some people play well with others — and some don't.
The rodents are prairie voles, a species known for being sociable and monogamous. By inserting one of their genes into ordinary lab mice, Emory researchers have created a more sociable breed of mouse.
It's the first time a single gene has been linked to complex social behaviors.
No, the gene therapy isn't available for use on cranky co-workers, neighbors or relatives. But scientists hope the research, reported today in the journal Nature, will bring them closer to understanding and better treating autism, a neurological disorder that afflicts more than 500,000 people in the United States.
"It brings up the possibility of altering behavior in animals in a predictable way," said lead researcher Larry Young, an associate professor of psychiatry at Emory.
Young and his research team bred the transgenic mice by incorporating a prairie vole gene that causes the development of brain-cell receptors that respond to a naturally occurring hormone, vasopressin. Vasopressin affects social behavior such as communication and aggression, and plays a role in the formation of pair bonds, as between mates.
Emory researchers noted the genetically altered mice developed vasopressin receptors in the same parts of the brain as in prairie voles. Also, after being given vasopressin, the transgenic mice became more sociable than normal mice. Israel I. Lederhendler, a neuroscientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, called it "a remarkable finding." NIMH funded the Emory study through grants. The Emory study may provide new clues to autism and other psychiatric disorders all characterized by antisocial behavior.
Autistic people often have problems communicating and may show little interest in making friends. Autism gained public awareness through the 1988 movie "Rain Man," starring Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant who was severely withdrawn but a near-genius at math.
Copyright 1999 Cox News Service. All rights reserved.
