CRISPR editing reduces repetitive behavior in mice with a form of autism

(University of California - Berkeley) Mice with fragile X syndrome are a common model for autism because the mice exhibit exaggerated repetitive behavior typical of the disorder. UC Berkeley and UT San Antonio researchers have for the first time gotten CRISPR into the brain to successfully edit a gene and reduce repetitive behavior. The CRISPR-Gold technique knocked out a gene for a neurotransmitter receptor, damping overexcitation and associated burying behavior. The technique could allow CRISPR therapies for other brain disorders.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2trhoTS