A THREE-YEAR-OLD monkey spends its time circling in its cage rather than playing with its peers — and is believed to have autism.
Mutant monkey with autism given antidepressants in experiment
Scientists tweaked the DNA of the monkey when it was just a pinprick-sized embryo.
In doing so, they created a mutation in SHANK3 — a gene linked to autism.
When treated with antidepressants, the monkey’s strange behaviours are reduced and it is more sociable. Promoted Story
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Lead researcher Yong Zhang, professor of genetics and developmental biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said the monkey could help find suitable drugs to treat autism in humans. Related Articles
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“If a drug works in monkeys, then it would be a good argument to try it in humans” Prof Yong Zhang
He said: “Our main goal is to test and validate drugs.
“If a drug works in monkeys, then it would be a good argument to try it in humans.”
The mutant monkey was given the antidepressant fluoxetine — known by the brand name Prozac — for two weeks.
During this time, the monkey circled its cage 86% less overall and socialised for 15 times longer than before.
Cynomolgus Monkey MUTANT: The Cynomolgus Monkey had its DNA edited with CRISPR tech (Pic: GETTY STOCK)
fluoxetine PILLS: Fluoxetine was given to the monkey (Pic: GETTY STOCK)
cynomolgus monkeys SOCIABLE: cynomolgus monkeys live in close-knit groups (Pic: GETTY STOCK)
autism AUTISM: Symptoms can include repetitive behaviours (Pic: GETTY STOCK) The National Autistic Society explains the signs of autism
After dosing ended, the monkey returned to its obsessive behaviour.
The scientists think its behaviour could be related to anxiety.
Researchers also found brain scans showed no difference in the mutant monkey’s brain structure and normal monkeys.
Its head size was also in the “normal” range.
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