The BTBR mouse model has been shown to be associated with deficits in social interaction and a pronounced engagement in repetitive behaviours. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the most prevalent neurodevelopmental condition globally. Despite its ubiquity, most research into the disorder remains focused on childhood, with studies in adulthood and old age relatively rare. To this end, we explored the differences in behaviour and immune function in an aged BTBR T + Itpr3tf/J mouse model of the disease compared to a similarly aged C57bl/6 control. We show that while many of the alterations in behaviour that are observed in young animals are maintained (repetitive behaviours, antidepressant-sensitive behaviours, social deficits & cognition) there are more nuanced effects in terms of anxiety in older animals of the BTBR strain compared to C57bl/6 controls. Furthermore, BTBR animals also exhibit an activated T-cell system. As such, these results represent confirmation that ASD-associated behavioural deficits are maintained in ageing, and that that there may be need for differential interventional approaches to counter these impairments, potentially through targeting the immune system.

BTBR 小鼠模型已被证明与社交互动缺陷和重复行为的明显参与有关。自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 是全球最普遍的神经发育疾病。尽管它无处不在，但对这种疾病的大多数研究仍然集中在儿童时期，而对成年和老年的研究相对较少。为此，我们探讨了老年 BTBR T + Itpr3tf/J 疾病小鼠模型与类似年龄的 C57bl/6 对照在行为和免疫功能方面的差异。我们表明，虽然在幼小动物中观察到的许多行为改变得以维持（重复行为、抗抑郁药敏感行为、社交缺陷和 认知）与 C57bl/6 对照相比，BTBR 品系的老年动物在焦虑方面有更细微的影响。此外，BTBR 动物还表现出激活的 T 细胞系统。因此，这些结果证实了 ASD 相关的行为缺陷在衰老过程中仍然存在，并且可能需要通过针对免疫系统的不同干预方法来对抗这些缺陷。