14 DAY TRIAL // A recent paper in the journal Cell announces the discovery of a set of neurons that specialists say are in charge of controlling social behavior. Hence, it is believed that these neurons could lead to a better understanding of autism.
Needless to say, studies concerning other behavioral disorders stand to also benefit from the discovery of these neurons. Besides, researchers say that, one day, it might be possible to manipulate these brain cells to trigger a certain behavior or response.
Sneak peek at the amygdala and its makeup
Writing in the journal Cell, the scientists behind this research project say that these neurons that appear to be in charge of controlling social behavior have until now only been documented in the brains of laboratory mice.
They sit in a part of the brain known as the amygdala and form two distinct populations. Of these, one encourages the rodents to engage in behaviors such as mating, fighting, and bonding with each other by means of social grooming.
The other neuron population, also located in the amygdala, tells the mice to ignore those around them and engage in repetitive self-grooming rather than take the time to interact with their peers. Simply put, these neurons promote asocial behavior.
As part of their investigation, the researchers also toyed with these neurons in order to cause the rodents to display a certain behavior. Thus, they genetically engineered mice whose neurons were especially sensitive to light, and then used this anomaly to have some fun.
During one experiment, they exposed the modified so-called social neurons to high-intensity light. This caused the mice to react aggressively to the presence of another rodent in their enclosure. However, when their neurons were exposed to lower-intensity light, the animals became friendly.
Finally, the time came for the scientists to toy with the neurons responsible for promoting asocial behavior. As soon as these neurons were activated using light, the rodents started grooming themselves and ignoring their peers. They continued to display this behavior for several minutes after the light was switched off.
A better understanding of autism
Several previous investigations have revealed that, in the case of people diagnosed with autism, the amygdala is not working right. In light of outcome of the experiments the California Institute of Technology specialists carried out on mice, it could be that a faulty amygdala explains their repetitive solitary behaviors and lack of interest in social interactions.
If humans too have two such distinct neuron populations governing their social behavior, it might be possible to toy with the faulty neural circuit underlying autism to try and treat this condition. Still, specialists say that, as encouraging as the findings of this investigation might be, science is still a long way from developing a treatment for autism.
“In autism, there is a decrease in social interactions, and there is often an increase in repetitive, sometimes asocial or self-oriented, behaviors – a phenomenon known as perseveration. Here, by stimulating a particular set of neurons, we are both inhibiting social interactions and promoting these perseverative, persistent behaviors.”
“All of this is very far away, but if you found the right population of neurons, it might be possible to override the genetic component of a behavioral disorder like autism, by just changing the activity of the circuits – tipping the balance of the see-saw in the other direction,” explains researcher David J. Anderson.