Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder of early onset, highly variable in its clinical presentation. It includes the development of abnormal cortical circuitry that underlies autistic cognitive processes, social impairment and other behaviors. According to National autism association (2014), autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder, which affects 1 in 68 children. Autism greatly varies from person to person. The rate of autism has steadily grown over the last twenty years. Comorbid conditions often associated with autism include Fragile X, allergies, asthma, epilepsy, bowel disease, gastrointestinal/digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, feeding disorders, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder,
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The model is designed to overcome the shortcomings of rodent model on autism; such as time consuming, costly, tedious and sound knowledge about gestation period in rodents was required. This model has been well established for the behavioral parameters so far, still lacking in strong biological correlations. Although we are studying few genes involved in autism, but if accompanied with neuroimaging and neuromorphological analyses may give us a better idea about the effected brain parts and pathophysiology involved in disease. For which transparency of larval zebrafish and their brain is an important advantages. Also the small size of larval brain is ideal for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of individual brain regions and/or whole brains using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). More detailed analyses of brain structure can subsequently be conducted with simple wholemount histochemistry and widely available laser scanning microscopy. This approach enables the creation of in-depth anatomical maps of intact brain regions and the pathways that connect them, without having to section and digitally reconstruct tissue samples. Moreover, histochemical markers for labeling neurotransmitters involved in neurological disorders (i.e., serotonin and dopamine) have already been tested in zebrafish, and are commercially available. Thus neuroimaging
The model is designed to overcome the shortcomings of rodent model on autism; such as time consuming, costly, tedious and sound knowledge about gestation period in rodents was required. This model has been well established for the behavioral parameters so far, still lacking in strong biological correlations. Although we are studying few genes involved in autism, but if accompanied with neuroimaging and neuromorphological analyses may give us a better idea about the effected brain parts and pathophysiology involved in disease. For which transparency of larval zebrafish and their brain is an important advantages. Also the small size of larval brain is ideal for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of individual brain regions and/or whole brains using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). More detailed analyses of brain structure can subsequently be conducted with simple wholemount histochemistry and widely available laser scanning microscopy. This approach enables the creation of in-depth anatomical maps of intact brain regions and the pathways that connect them, without having to section and digitally reconstruct tissue samples. Moreover, histochemical markers for labeling neurotransmitters involved in neurological disorders (i.e., serotonin and dopamine) have already been tested in zebrafish, and are commercially available. Thus neuroimaging