![]() ![]() This finding was also replicated when the researchers “reverse-engineered” the brain’s processes for identifying target scents in unfamiliar backgrounds. This suggests that scent processing in the autism model was impaired at a later step-after signals were processed at the olfactory bulb input. However, the input signals were very similar between the CNTNAP2 knockout mice and neurotypical mice. Here, “scent signals” are transmitted to other parts of the brain for further processing, playing a key role in how the brain computes smell. An imaging technique called intrinsic optical imaging was used to visualize neural activity near the surface of the olfactory bulb. ![]() To better understand where the processing error was occurring in the brains of the CNTNAP2 knockout mice, the researchers visualized the neural activity at the input of each animal’s olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that initially processes smell. While the neurotypical mice were able to “filter out” new background odors and identify the target scents, the CNTNAP2 knockout mice struggled to do so. Otazu, an electrical engineer, likens this task to Internet captchas, which require humans to visually identify letters and numbers set in a busy or obscured background. Then, the mice were given a more challenging task: identifying target scents as unfamiliar odors were introduced in the background. Both groups succeeded in identifying the target. When they successfully identified the target scent, the mice were rewarded with a sip of water. The team trained two groups of mice-one group with a mutation in a gene linked to autism (CNTNAP2 knockout mice) and one neurotypical group-to recognize familiar scents. Now, a study led by NYITCOM Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences Gonzalo Otazu, Ph.D., published in the journal Nature Communications, analyzes a mouse model of autism and reports differences in the neurological processes responsible for smell. While many studies have focused on the behavioral features of autism, additional research is needed to help explain its sensory aspects. Individuals with autism have an “insistence on sameness,” and often avoid unfamiliar elements, including new smells and foods, which can impact their quality of life. Newswise - New research from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) could help explain how the sense of smell is impacted in individuals with autism. ![]()
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