With help from a mouse, researchers from Caltech University have found that studying the neurons controlling social behavior and social self-grooming in a mouse can lead to a better understanding of autism.

David Anderson, one of those involved in the study, said researchers have known there's a hierarchy of behavior that exhibits social and asocial behavior in an animal.

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He said their findings discovered two intermingled but distinct populations of neurons in the amygdala, or the part of the brain that focuses on the innate social behavior of an individual.

He noted that one population promotes social behavior like mating, fighting and social grooming. The other controls repetitive self-grooming and asocial behavior.

The social neurons are called inhibitory neurons. These neurons release the neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid.

The self-grooming neurons are called excitatory neurons. These release the neurotransmitter, glumatamate.

With the help of optogenetics, researchers genetically altered the neurons to express light-sensitive proteins from microbial organisms.

After that, they used an optic cable inserted into the mouse's brain to modify the neurons by shining a light on it. They did this to control the cell activity of the neurons associated with behavior.

Researchers said the behavior of the social neurons became dependent on the intensity of the light signal.

They noted that when the high-intensity light was used, the mice became more aggressive.

They also subjected the mouse to low-intensity light. When they did so, the mouse became subdued and no longer aggressive.

Anderson said that autism is caused by a social interaction decrease and increase in repetitive asocial and self-oriented behaviors.

He said that by stimulating a particular set of neurons, social interaction and persistent behaviors might be inhibited.

Researchers said that other studies showed that autism could be caused by gene disruption that can decrease social interaction and increase repetitive self-grooming.

They said their findings could lead to a link among gene activity, brain activity and social behavior.

Anderson also said their finding could help develop future therapies.