RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 fmr1 mutation interacts with sensory experience to alter the early development of behavior and sensory coding in zebrafish JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 2021.03.16.435742 DO 10.1101/2021.03.16.435742 A1 Shuyu Zhu A1 Michael McCullough A1 Zac Pujic A1 Jordan Sibberas A1 Biao Sun A1 Bianca Bucknall A1 Lilach Avitan A1 Geoffrey J Goodhill YR 2021 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/14/2021.03.16.435742.abstract AB While Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are developmental in origin little is known about how they affect the early development of behavior and sensory coding, or how this is modulated by the sensory environment. The most common inherited form of autism is Fragile X syndrome, caused by a mutation in FMR1. Here we show that zebrafish fmr1-/- mutant larvae raised in a naturalistic visual environment display early deficits in hunting behavior, tectal map development, tectal network properties and decoding of spatial stimuli. However when given a choice they preferred an environment with reduced visual stimulation, and rearing them in this environment improved these metrics. Older fmr1-/- fish showed differences in social behavior, spending more time observing a conspecific, but responding more slowly to social cues. Together these results help reveal how fmr1-/- changes the early development of vertebrate brain function, and how manipulating the environment could potentially help reduce these changes.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.