Vaissiere Thomas, Michaelson Sheldon D, Creson Thomas, Goins Jessie, Fürth Daniel, Balazsfi Diana, Rojas Camilo, Golovin Randall, Meletis Konstantinos, Miller Courtney A, O'Connor Daniel, Fontolan Lorenzo, Rumbaugh Gavin
Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA.
SciLifeLab, Department of Immunology, Genetics & Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
bioRxiv. 2024 Sep 27:2023.09.27.559787. doi: 10.1101/2023.09.27.559787.
Perception, a cognitive construct, emerges through sensorimotor integration (SMI). The genetic mechanisms that shape SMI required for perception are unknown. Here, we demonstrate in mice that expression of the autism/intellectual disability gene, , in cortical excitatory neurons is required for formation of somatomotor networks that promote SMI-mediated perception. Cortical expression was necessary and sufficient for setting tactile sensitivity, sustaining tactile object exploration, and promoting tactile learning. Mice with deficient expression exhibited impaired neural dynamics induced by exploratory touches within a cortical-thalamic network known to promote attention and perception. Disrupted neuronal dynamics were associated with circuit-specific long-range synaptic connectivity abnormalities. Our data support a model where autonomous expression in cortical excitatory neurons promotes cognitive abilities through assembly of circuits that integrate temporally-overlapping sensory and motor signals, a process that promotes perception and attention. These data provide systems-level insights into the robust association between expression and cognitive ability.
感知作为一种认知结构，通过感觉运动整合（SMI）而产生。塑造感知所需的SMI的遗传机制尚不清楚。在此，我们在小鼠中证明，自闭症/智力障碍基因在皮质兴奋性神经元中的表达是促进SMI介导的感知的躯体运动网络形成所必需的。皮质表达对于设定触觉敏感性、维持触觉物体探索以及促进触觉学习是必要且充分的。缺乏表达的小鼠在一个已知促进注意力和感知的皮质-丘脑网络中，由探索性触摸诱导的神经动力学受损。神经元动力学的破坏与特定回路的长程突触连接异常有关。我们的数据支持一种模型，即皮质兴奋性神经元中的自主表达通过整合时间上重叠的感觉和运动信号的回路组装来促进认知能力，这一过程促进感知和注意力。这些数据为表达与认知能力之间的强关联提供了系统层面的见解。
