Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40055803›Full record

ArticleMolecular autism2025

Postnatal downregulation of Fmr1 in microglia promotes microglial reactivity and causes behavioural alterations in female mice.

Mehdi Hooshmandi, David Ho-Tieng, Kevin C Lister, Weihua Cai, Calvin Wong, Nicole Brown, Jonathan Fan, Volodya Hovhannisyan, Sonali Uttam, Masha Prager-Khoutorsky and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular autism, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Mehdi HooshmandiDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
David Ho-TiengDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Kevin C ListerDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Weihua CaiDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Calvin WongDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Nicole BrownDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jonathan FanDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Volodya HovhannisyanDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Sonali UttamDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Masha Prager-KhoutorskyDepartment of Physiology, McIntyre Medical Sciences Building, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Nahum SonenbergDepartment of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Christos G GkogkasBiomedical Research Institute, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, loannina, Greece. cgkogkas@bri.forth.gr.
Arkady KhoutorskyDepartment of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. arkady.khoutorsky@mcgill.ca.

Funding

CIHR PJT-162412
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFragile X syndrome is caused by the loss of the Fmr1 gene expression. Deletion of Fmr1 in various neuronal and non-neuronal subpopulations in the brain of mice leads to cell-type-specific effects. Microglia, immune cells critical for the refinement of neuronal circuits during brain development, have been implicated in various neurodevelopmental disorders, including fragile X syndrome. However, it is unknown whether reduced Fmr1 expression in microglia leads to molecular and behavioral phenotypes.

methodsWe downregulated Fmr1 in microglia during early and late postnatal development and studied the effect on microglial morphology and distinct behaviours.

resultsFemale, but not male, adult mice with downregulation of Fmr1 in microglia during early development exhibited reactive microglia and behavioral phenotypes, including enhanced self-grooming and alterations in social interaction. Downregulation of Fmr1 in microglia during late development induced a milder phenotype, characterized by impaired preference for social novelty without affecting microglia morphology.

conclusionsThe downregulation of Fmr1 and its encoded protein FMRP in microglia contributes to behavioural phenotypes in a sex-specific manner.

Indexed as

Behavior, AnimalDown-RegulationFragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1MicrogliaAnimalsFemaleMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPhenotypeSocial BehaviorFmr1 protein, mouseFragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1Animal modelsBehaviours reminiscent of autismFmr1Microglia

Identifiers

PMID40055803
PMCPMC11887208

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.