The Role of Nicotinic Receptors in the Attenuation of Autism‐Related Behaviors in a Murine BTBR T + Tf/j Autistic Model

The nicotinic receptors are distributed throughout the central and peripheral nervous system. Postmortem studies have reported that some nicotinic receptor subtypes are altered in the brains of autistic people. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the autistic behavior of BTBR T+tf/J mice. This study was undertaken to examine the behavioral effects of pharmacologically targeted nAChRs using nicotine and mecamylamine (MEC) in a BTBR T+tf/J mouse model of autism. It was conducted a panel of behavioral tests relating to autism. The behavioral tests included the three‐chamber social interaction, self‐grooming, marble‐burying, locomotor activity (LA), and rota‐rod (RR) test. It was examined the effect of various oral doses of nicotine over a period of two weeks in BTBR T+tf/J mice. The results indicated that the chronic administration of nicotine modulated sociability and repetitive behavior in BTBR T+tf/J mice while no effects in C57BL/6J mice. Furthermore, the non‐selective nAChR antagonist (MEC) reduced sociability and increased the repetitive behaviors in BTBR T+tf/J mice. Overall, the findings indicate that the pharmacological modulation of nicotinic receptors is involved in modulating core behavioral phenotypes in the BTBR T+tf/J mouse model.