Vet Med - Czech, 2025, 70(7):227-241 | DOI: 10.17221/87/2024-VETMED

Animal models of autism spectrum disorder: Insights into genetic, structural and environmental modelsReview

D Chivchibashi-Pavlova ORCID..., K Bratoeva ORCID...
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University – Varna, Varna, Bulgaria

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of human neurodevelopmental disorders with significant global prevalence. Deficits in social communication and interaction and repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behaviour characterise ASD. The aetiology of ASD is unclear, but several genetic and environmental risk factors, either alone or in combination, are implicated in its development. To date, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of ASD remain incompletely understood due to its heterogeneity. To better understand the pathogenesis of ASD, various animal models have been developed. The use of animals in ASD research allows the exploration of the biological substrates of social behaviour, cognition, and reward sensitivity, which are key components of ASD symptoms. This review outlines the commonly employed animal models in ASD research and explores their applications and the associated challenges.

Keywords: animal experimental models; novel experimental models; primate models; rodent models; zebrafish models

Received: September 16, 2024; Revised: June 9, 2025; Accepted: June 11, 2025; Prepublished online: July 25, 2025; Published: July 29, 2025  Show citation

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Chivchibashi-Pavlova D, Bratoeva K. Animal models of autism spectrum disorder: Insights into genetic, structural and environmental models. Vet Med - Czech. 2025;70(7):227-241. doi: 10.17221/87/2024-VETMED.
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