The first graduate student academic forum of AMHD (Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, Chinese Academy of Sciences) was held at 2:00 pm on October 29th, 2010. Over 50 graduate students from nine research groups of AMHD attended this forum. Professors Lin Xu and Yong-Tang Zheng, the director and deputy director of AMHD, respectively, also participated in this event. Yong-Yong Zhu, a Ph.D candidate from Prof. Lin Xu’s lab, presented "Down regulation of Pten gene expression and the synaptic plasticity mechanism on autistic-like behavior". During the presentation, many students participated in the discussion of the Pten gene and the pathogenesis of autism. Prof. Lin Xu made final comments. He first appreciated the significance of the graduate student academic forum. Then, Prof. Xu hoped that more graduate students could participate in this forum and actively express their ideas in the future. Any suggestions or comments about the forum are welcome to improve this academic activity.