Valproic acid treated female Long-Evans rats are impaired on attentional set-shifting.

This study examined social and anxiety behavior as well as cognitive flexibility in VPA and control offspring. 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. 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. 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. 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.
PMID: 33053383 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Behavioural Brain Research - October 11, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: McKinnell ZE, Maze T, Ramos A, Challans B, Plakke B Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research