Dr. Yi-Ping Hsueh demonstrated that interamygdalar connection controlled by transcriptional factor TBR1 is critical for normal neural activity of amygdala to regulate autism-like behaviors in mice.
Using Tbr1+/– mice as autism mouse model, we found that the posterior part of anterior commissure disappears exclusively in mutant mice. This defect leads to a reduction in amygdalar activity and reduces social behaviors, a feature of autism.