A decrease in the number of parvalbumin-positive (PV+) neurons in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region involved in anxiety and social behaviors, in mice with DRG-specific Shank3 and Mecp2 mutations suggests a potential mechanism for why periphery-specific mutations of ASD-related genes may result in anxiety behaviors and social deficits [99]. Here, SHANK3 is linked to Anxiety.