Altered cognitive processes shape tactile perception in autism

Altered sensory perception is a hallmark of autism and determines how autistic individuals engage with their environment. These sensory differences are shaped by top-down cognitive processes—such as categorization, attention, and priors—which themselves exhibit characteristic atypicalities in the condition. Among sensory modalities, tactile perception is particularly critical for daily functioning and social interactions. However, the dynamic interplay between tactile and cognitive processes remains poorly understood.

In this study, we investigated the influence of top-down cognitive processes on tactile perception in the Fmr1 ^-/y genetic mouse model of autism. We developed a translational, forepaw-based decision-making task designed to dissociate stimulus-driven tactile responses from those modulated by cognitive factors. This approach enabled us to assess multiple aspects of perceptual processing, including perceptual learning, stimulus categorization and discrimination, as well as the influence of prior experience and attention. Mice were initially trained to distinguish between high- and low-salience stimuli and were subsequently tested with a continuum of intermediate stimulus intensities.

Our results revealed salience-dependent cognitive alterations that significantly influenced sensory performance. During the training phase, Fmr1 ^-/y mice exhibited an increased choice consistency bias in low-salience trials, resulting in impaired perceptual learning. In the testing phase, Fmr1 ^-/y mice demonstrated enhanced tactile discrimination under low-salience conditions, driven by a reduced influence of categorization. Moreover, under conditions of high cognitive load, Fmr1 ^-/y mice displayed attentional deficits that were dissociable from their enhanced tactile sensitivity. Together, our findings reveal that cognitive context critically shapes sensory phenotypes in autism. They advocate for a shift beyond traditional sensory–cognitive dichotomies to better capture the dynamic interplay between perceptual and cognitive alterations in autism.