BDNF and autism: For this reason, the aim of our study was to compare the effects of either the acute intracerebroventricular administration of a recombinant BDNF protein or hippocampal adeno-associated-virus–mediated BDNF overexpression on autistic-like behavior and expression of key DA-related and BDNF-related genes in BTBR mice (a widely recognized model of autism).