What Singing Mice Could Teach Us About Communication in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome

In this episode of the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Podcast: Sharing Research, Progress, and Hope, Dr. Lauren talks with Dr. Michael Long of NYU Langone, a neuroscientist studying the brain circuits that make vocal communication possible.This episode is a fascinating look at an unconventional approach to one of the Phelan-McDermid syndrome community's highest research priorities: communication and language.Dr. Long shares how his research has taken him from songbirds and human speech to an unusual animal with remarkable conversational abilities: the singing mouse. Unlike standard laboratory mice, singing mice engage in precisely timed, back-and-forth vocal exchanges, much like humans! After collaborating with Dr. Ben Scott (featured on "A Cross-Species Approach to Advancing Research in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome with Dr. Ben Scott and Amanda Fath"), Dr. Long has been working to develop a SHANK3 knockdown singing mouse. This will allow researchers to better understand the underlying brain circuitry involved in communication and how disruption to SHANK3 alters this.The conversation also explores why communication encompasses much more than spoken words, the importance of including minimally verbal and non-speaking individuals in research, and how "backward translation" (taking observations from individuals with Phelan-McDermid syndrome back into the laboratory) can help scientists ask better questions and develop more meaningful models.If you are interested in being involved with Drs. Scott and Long's study, check out the GEODE (Gathering Evidence for Optimizing Decisions) Study on our Open Studies page or contact: [email protected].