# The Role of Layer I Interneurons in the Activity-Dependent Assembly of the Somatosensory Cortex

> **NIH NIH F30** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2022 · $51,752

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental diseases
exhibit diverse manifestations of the stereotyped socioemotional limitations of these conditions.
Prominently, deficits in the processing and interpreting of sensory inputs are consistently
observed. Foundational studies implicate inhibitory interneuron dysfunction in the pathogenesis
of ASD as well as the role of select interneuron subtypes in coordinating organization of sensory
processing cortical areas. We hypothesize that sensory input to defined subtypes of inhibitory
interneurons at early developmental stages is necessary to recruit genetic programs mediating
the emergence of correctly patterned sensory maps. To test this hypothesis, we will
demonstrate the local circuitry of a molecularly-defined subtype of superficial interneurons,
which underlies their coordinating role in sensory cortical assembly, using a combination of
immunohistochemical and electrophysiologic profiling. We will show that sensory deprivation
though genetic ablation of a high-risk ASD gene in these interneurons alters their transcriptional
programs in an activity- dependent manner. Finally, we will implicate the sensory-sensitive
expression of an emerging subtype-defining gene in these interneurons as necessary and
sufficient for driving their role in sharpening sensory maps at neonatal stages and for
consequent tactile sensing behavior in adulthood. This proposal, undertaken with the intellectual
support of the Tri-Institutional research community and the guidance of a mentorship team at
the nexus of neuroscience and psychiatry, will address a significant gap in understanding the
intersection between genetic risk and aberrant activity-dependent sensory processing circuitry in
the emergence of ASD symptomatology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10425441
- **Project number:** 5F30HD100089-03
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Andrew Ferdynand Iannone
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $51,752
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10425441

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10425441, The Role of Layer I Interneurons in the Activity-Dependent Assembly of the Somatosensory Cortex (5F30HD100089-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10425441. Licensed CC0.

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