Daily oscillation of the excitation/inhibition ratio is disrupted in two mouse models of autism

Abstract

Alterations to the balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I ratio) are postulated to underlie behavioral phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients and mouse models. However, in wild type mice the E/I ratio is not constant, but instead oscillates across the 24h day. Therefore, we tested whether the E/I oscillation, rather than the overall E/I ratio, is disrupted in two ASD mouse lines: Fmr1 KO and BTBR, models of syndromic and idiopathic ASD, respectively. The E/I ratio is dysregulated in both models, but in different ways: the oscillation is flattened in Fmr1 KO and phase-shifted in BTBR mice. In both models these phenotypes associate with alterations in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission and endocannabinoid signaling, but not with altered sleep. These findings suggest that ASD phenotypes may be produced by a mismatch of E/I to the appropriate behavioral state, rather than alterations to overall E/I levels per se.