JPBS

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopment disorder caused by genetic and environmental factors. Animal models of autism could help to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and treatment approaches of this disease. Environmental enrichment has been demonstrated to exert beneficial effects in wild-type rodents as well as animal models of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here we review the findings about the effect of environmental enrichment on animal models of autism. Generally, environmental enrichment results in less anxiety-like behavior, reduces repetitive behavior and the deficits in social and cognitive behaviors. Environmental enrichment therefore appears to be an effective model for non-pharmacological intervention in autism therapy.

Autism;Animal model;Behavior;Environmental enrichment