AVP and autism spectrum disorder: Notably, Hom Brattleboro rats exhibit behavioral abnormalities associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, including decreased social interactions, social cognitive deficits, and attenuated prepulse inhibition, which is consistent with the hypothesis that AVP signaling is disrupted in these disorders (Engelmann and Landgraf, 1994; Feifel and Priebe, 2007; Feifel et al., 2009; Lin et al., 2013).