Altered cognitive processes shape tactile perception in autism.

Researchers studied how thinking processes affect touch perception in autism using specially bred mice. They found that mice with autism-like traits processed touch differently depending on how strong or weak the touch was. The mice were better at detecting weak touches but had trouble when touches changed between different categories. This suggests that touch differences in autism aren't just about being too sensitive or not sensitive enough, but about how the brain processes and makes decisions about touch information.

This study investigated how cognitive processes influence tactile perception in autism using a genetic mouse model (KO mice) and perceptual decision-making tasks. Results showed that male mice with autism-like features exhibited altered tactile discrimination patterns dependent on stimulus salience. During low-salience trials, mice showed increased choice consistency bias and enhanced discrimination of weak tactile stimuli, but reduced facilitation for stimuli crossing category boundaries. These effects were accompanied by diminished integration of sensory history and were distinct from attention deficits observed under high cognitive load.

The findings suggest tactile perception alterations in autism reflect context-dependent weighting of sensory information during decision-making rather than uniform sensory deficits.

Findings suggest tactile interventions should consider context and salience rather than assuming uniform sensory deficits. May inform development of targeted sensory therapies that account for decision-making processes and cognitive load in tactile perception.

Study conducted in genetic mouse model, limiting direct translation to humans. Sample size not reported. Only male mice studied, missing potential sex differences. Unclear how findings relate to specific human tactile experiences or interventions.

Altered sensory perception is a hallmark of autism and shapes how individuals engage with their environment, with tactile perception playing a critical role in daily functioning and for social interactions. While sensory alterations are thought to contribute to cognitive differences in autism, the impact of cognition on sensory perception remains unclear. Here, we investigated how cognitive processes modulate tactile perception in theKO genetic mouse model of autism through a translational perceptual decision-making task. Our results revealed salience-dependent cognitive alterations that influenced sensory performance.

During training,male mice distinguishing between a high- and a low-salience stimulus exhibited an increased choice consistency bias in low-salience trials. When tested across a continuum of intermediate stimulus intensities, these mice demonstrated enhanced tactile discrimination of low-salience stimuli but reduced discrimination facilitation for stimuli crossing category boundaries. These effects were accompanied by diminished integration of sensory history and were dissociable from the attention deficits that emerged under high cognitive load. Together, our findings reveal that tactile perceptual alterations reflect context-dependent weighting and integration of sensory information during decision-making rather than uniform sensory deficits or enhancements, supporting a shift beyond traditional sensory-cognitive dichotomies.