Delayed postnatal brain development and ontogenesis of behavior and cognition in a mouse model of intellectual disability

Abstract

Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with impaired cognitive and adaptive behaviors and represents a major medical issue. Although ID-patients develop behavioral problems and are diagnosed during childhood, most behavioral studies in rodent models have been conducted in adulthood, missing precocious phenotypes expressed during this critical time-window characterized by intense brain plasticity. Here, we selectively assessed postnatal ontogenesis of behavioral and cognitive processes, as well as postnatal brain development in the male Rsk2-knockout mouse model of the Coffin-Lowry syndrome, an X-linked disorder characterized by ID and neurological abnormalities. While Rsk2-knockout mice were born healthy, a longitudinal MRI study revealed a transient secondary microcephaly and a persistent reduction of hippocampal and cerebellar volumes. Specific behavioral parameters from postnatal day 4 (P4) unveiled delayed acquisition of sensory-motor functions and alterations of spontaneous and cognitive behaviors during adolescence, which together, represent hallmarks of neurodevelopmental disorders. Together, our results suggest for the first time that RSK2, an effector of the MAPK signaling pathways, plays a crucial role in brain and cognitive postnatal development. This study also provides new relevant measures to characterize postnatal cognitive development of mouse models of ID and to design early therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: Brain development; Coffin-Lowry syndrome; Cognitive development; Intellectual disability; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Postnatal behavior.