Environmental Enrichment Rescues Social Behavioral Deficits and Synaptic Abnormalities in Haploinsufficient Mice.

germline haploinsufficient () mice, which model macrocephaly/autism syndrome, show social and repetitive behavior deficits, early brain overgrowth, and cortical-subcortical hyperconnectivity. Previous work indicated that altered neuronal connectivity may be a substrate for behavioral deficits. We hypothesized that exposing mice to environmental enrichment after brain overgrowth has occurred may facilitate adaptation to abnormal "hard-wired" connectivity through enhancing synaptic plasticity.