Corso di Laurea in Biotecnologie

Aberrant sensory encoding in Autism Spectrum Disorders: the case of Rett syndrome:

Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as Rett Syndrome (RTT) patients show profound alterations in sensorymotor functions. However, neither the neural mechanisms underlying tactile sensory processing deficits in affected individuals nor the relationship between somatosensory deficits and social behavior are understood. The student will be engaged in studies of molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms involved in encoding sensorial inputs. CNS areas such as primary sensory and motor cortices, relevant for sensorymotor processing, will be studied in mice modeling RTT (Mecp2- and CDKL5-KO mice). This project will shed light on multisensory atypicalities with an experimental setting taking advantage of a combination of behavioral tests, electrophysiology and circuit analyses in mouse models, with the prospective to unveil novel targets for intervention.