# Structural and functional development of touch sensory neurons

> **NIH NIH F32** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2020 · $15,759

## Abstract

Our sense of touch is essential for our ability to perform fine manual tasks and for affective behaviors, and
disruptions in tactile sensitivity can profoundly affect quality of life. Low-threshold mechanoreceptor (LTMR)
neurons detect non-painful tactile stimuli in the periphery and transmit this information to the central nervous
system (CNS). Our lab has produced genetic tools that enable visualization and functional manipulation of the
major LTMR subtypes in the mouse, revealing that primary LTMR afferents transmit highly organized
information about the nature and position of the touch stimulus they detect. However, the mechanisms that
establish LTMR connectivity in the CNS to produce the functional organization of mechanosensory inputs
remain unknown. In particular, the role of neural activity during LTMR morphogenesis, central targeting, and
synaptogenesis has not been tested. The goal of my proposed research is to characterize the structural and
functional development of LTMR neurons, and to test the role of activity in establishing organized patterns of
LTMR connectivity in the CNS. Aim 1 will use genetic tools to characterize the acquisition of LTMR
morphologies and central targeting patterns, as well as synapse formation between LTMRs and their CNS
targets. In Aim 2 I will use electrophysiological recordings to monitor the maturation of functional response
properties in LTMRs, and will generate genetic tools to investigate the role of neural activity during LTMR
central targeting and synaptogenesis. Together, my proposed research will define how the circuits that process
tactile stimuli are established to allow for the exquisite spatial and functional organization of somatosensory
representations in the CNS. Understanding how touch circuits are assembled during development will guide
research efforts aimed at promoting the regeneration of sensory axons following nerve damage in conditions of
injury or disease, as well as the design of effective neural prosthetics to restore sensory function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9904782
- **Project number:** 5F32NS106807-03
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** Celine Santiago
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $15,759
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9904782

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9904782, Structural and functional development of touch sensory neurons (5F32NS106807-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9904782. Licensed CC0.

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