The Role of Synaptic Cell Adhesion Molecules and Associated Scaffolding Proteins in Social Affiliative Behaviors

Social affiliative behaviors -- engagement in positive (i.e. non-aggressive) social approach and reciprocal social interactions with a conspecific -- comprise a construct within the NIMH RDoC Social Processes Domain. Affiliative behaviors are disrupted in multiple human neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, social phobia, and others. Human genetic studies have strongly implicated synaptic cell adhesion molecules (sCAMs) in several such disorders that involve marked reductions, or other dysregulations, of social affiliative behaviors.

Source: Biological Psychiatry - February 20, 2020 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Sara C. Taylor, Sarah L. Ferri, Mahip Grewal, Zoe Smernoff, Maja Bucan, Joshua A. Weiner, Ted Abel, Edward S. Brodkin Tags: Review Source Type: research