RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid Disrupts Social Predispositions in Newly-Hatched Chicks JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 150391 DO 10.1101/150391 A1 Paola Sgadò A1 Orsola Rosa-Salva A1 Elisabetta Versace A1 Giorgio Vallortigara YR 2017 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/19/150391.abstract AB Biological predispositions to attend to visual cues, such as those associated with face-like stimuli or with biological motion, guide social behavior from the first moments of life and have been documented in human neonates, infant monkeys and newly-hatched domestic chicks. In human neonates at high familial risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a lack of such predispositions has been recently reported. Prompted by these observations, we modeled ASD behavioral deficit in newborn chicks, using embryonic exposure to valproic acid (VPA), the histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitor that in humans is associated with an increased risk for developing ASD. We assessed spontaneous predispositions in newly-hatched, visually-naïve chicks, by comparing responses to a stuffed hen vs. a scrambled version of it. We found that social predispositions were abolished in VPAtreated chicks. In contrast, experience-dependent learning mechanisms associated with filial imprinting were not affected. Our results indicate a specific effect of VPA on the development of biologically-predisposed social orienting mechanisms, opening new perspectives to investigate the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms involved in early ASD symptoms.