SHANK3 and autism spectrum disorder: SHANK is a scaffold protein located in excitatory synapses and is essential for the normal development and function of synapses.[21, 45] The SHANK protein family, encoded by the SHANK1, SHANK2, and SHANK3 genes, undergoes alternative promoter usage and splicing, generating multiple mRNA transcripts and protein isoforms.[20] Although SHANK gene mutations have been extensively linked to autism spectrum disorders, the physiological role of SHANK proteins in other contexts, such as cognitive decline, remains underexplored.