![]() ![]() It was developed after realizing that women who were prescribed medications containing VPA, to treat seizures and bi-polar disorder, had an increased risk between 4-8% of their children developing ASD compared to the regular population 11- 13. The VPA model is widely recognized as having both construct and face validity 10. For this study, cognitive flexibility within the valproic acid (VPA) model of autism was tested. They also make more errors on switch trials 9, indicating they may have difficulty with disengagement. People with ASD demonstrate impairments in cognitive flexibility 6, 7, including when they have to shift their attention to an external rule change 3, 8. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift your behavior when environmental circumstances change or when the current rules guiding your behavior change. Executive functions encompass working memory, response inhibition but also include cognitive flexibility or attentional switching and are impaired in ASD 5. Another common symptom of ASD is problems with executive functions 1- 4. Female VPA rats were also less likely to form an attentional set offering evidence that the VPA model of autism is encompassing executive function deficits similar to those observed in humans with ASD.Īutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social interactions, communication, and increases in repetitive behavior. These results support the hypothesis that females diagnosed with ASD may suffer from different symptoms and present a unique behavioral profile compared to males with ASD. VPA rats also had deficits in performing the set-shifting task, with female VPA rats demonstrating greater impairment compared to female control rats and male VPA rats. Results for social behavior were consistent with prior studies showing reduced sociability in VPA rats and increased self-grooming, which may be viewed as a repetitive behavior. This study examined social and anxiety behavior as well as cognitive flexibility in VPA and control offspring. The valproic acid (VPA) model of autism has been widely used to examine changes in rodent behavior and neurobiology to better understand ASD. ![]() Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social deficits, communication impairments, restrictive behaviors, and cognitive flexibility deficits. ![]()
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