ArticleJournal of neuroscience research2026
Sex-Dependent Alterations in Behavioral Development of Mice Lacking α5-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors.
Article in Journal of neuroscience research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Complex neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia are characterized by impaired social interactions, cognitive deficits, and repetitive behaviors. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified the α5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α5-nAChR) subunit as a significant risk factor for these neuropsychiatric conditions. The α5 subunit is a critical modulator of neural circuit dynamics, specifically through its functional involvement within vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-positive interneurons; however, its role in the sex-dependent maturation of behavioral phenotypes remains poorly understood. We characterized α5-nAChR knockout (ACNA5) mice to investigate the neurodevelopmental consequences of α5 subunit loss. ACNA5 mice displayed sexually dimorphic and age-dependent core symptoms relevant to ASD and schizophrenia. Regarding anxiety-like behavior, there was an opposite sex pattern between genotypes, evident only in adulthood. Cognitive assessment using the novel object location task revealed early-onset spatial memory deficits in ACNA5 females, whereas males exhibited a progressive decline from adolescence to adulthood. In the social domain, adult ACNA5 mice failed to exhibit social novelty preference; females displayed complete social indifference, while males displayed a pronounced familiarity bias. In addition, ACNA5 mice of both sexes displayed amplified repetitive behavior, emerging earlier in males, and poor nest-building scores across developmental stages. Together, these findings identify the α5-nAChR subunit as a crucial modulator of the maturation of neural circuits underlying social motivation, cognition, and emotional regulation. Our results implicate α5-containing nicotinic receptors in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders and establish the ACNA5 mouse as a valuable model for investigating sex-specific developmental trajectories and therapeutic windows.
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