Syngap1 promotes cognitive function through regulation of cortical sensorimotor dynamics.

ABSTRACT: 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, Syngap1, in cortical excitatory neurons is required for the formation of somatomotor networks that promote SMI-mediated perception. Cortical Syngap1 expression was necessary and sufficient for setting tactile sensitivity, sustaining tactile object exploration, and promoting tactile learning. Mice with deficient Syngap1 expression exhibited impaired neural dynamics induced by exploratory touches within a cortical-thalamic network that promotes attention and perception. Disrupted neuronal dynamics were associated with circuit-specific long-range syn

SUBMITTER: Vaissiere T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11743135 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature