Altered neurogenesis and disrupted expression of synaptic proteins in prefrontal cortex of SHANK3-deficient non-human primate

Dear Editor, Despite substantial progress made toward under- standing the molecular changes contributing to autism spectrum disorders （ASD）, the neuropathophysiology underlying ASD remains poorly understood [1, 2]. Struc- tural brain imaging in humans is valuable, but lacks res- olution at the cellular level. Studies of neuropathology in humans have been hampered by the lack of high quality postmortem brains from individuals with ASD [2]. For more than decades, mutant mice have served as major tools to dissect the pathophysiology of ASD because of the wealth of molecular and neurobiological techniques developed for studies with rodents.