Heterozygous CDKL5 Knockout Female Mice Are a Valuable Animal Model for CDKL5 Disorder

Figure 2

Reduced body weight, impaired olfaction, and autistic-like features in Cdkl5 +/− female mice. (a) Body weight at 8 and 14 weeks of age in Cdkl5 +/+ (), Cdkl5 +/− ( and , resp.), and Cdkl5 −/− ( and , resp.) mice. Only at 14 weeks of age Cdkl5 +/− and Cdkl5 −/− mice showed reduced body weight compared to Cdkl5 +/+ mice. (b) Olfactory ability evaluated using the buried food test. Cdkl5 +/− () and Cdkl5 −/− () mice showed an increased latency to find the buried cookie compared to Cdkl5 +/+ mice (), indicating olfactory impairment in Cdkl5 +/− and Cdkl5 −/− mice. (c) Nest building ability evaluated at 3 and 22 h. Cdkl5 +/− () and Cdkl5 −/− () mice showed impaired nesting behavior compared to Cdkl5 +/+ () mice. (d) Marble burying test. Cdkl5 +/− () and Cdkl5 −/− () mice buried fewer marbles compared to Cdkl5 +/+ mice (). Values represent . , , and (datasets in (a), Fisher’s LSD test after ANOVA; datasets in (b–d), Dunn’s test after Kruskal-Wallis).

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