Collaboration with the Institute of Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University and the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava resulted in a prestigious publication. This publication investigated the effects of Shank3 deficiency on dopaminergic neurons and found significant reductions in neurite outgrowth and alterations in synaptic protein expression in key brain regions linked to autism. These structural changes may underlie autistic symptoms and offer insights into the neurobiological mechanisms contributing to the disorder.