An Introduction to Psychology

This study examined whether an interaction between the serotonin transporter genotype and maternal stress results in a mouse with characteristics of autism. Serotonin transporter knockout heterozygous dams and wild-type dams were stressed during different gestational periods. Their offspring then underwent a series of behavioral tasks to test sociability, anxiety levels, and level of cerebellar functioning. We predicted that mice that experienced prenatal stress and had a deficit in the serotonin transporter would produce the anxiety, cerebellar and social interaction deficiencies seen in autism. In contrast, we hypothesized that without the presence of prenatal stress, there is no difference in the baselines of the control groups and the serotonin transporter knockout mice. Our results did not support our hypothesis, suggesting that the serotonin transporter knockout mice and prenatal stress paradigm is not a valid animal model of autism. However, we did find effects on sociability, anxiety, and locomotor functioning, indicating an interaction of serotonin transporter knockout mice and maternal stress