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Kessler F, Frankenstein J, Rothkopf CA. Human navigation strategies and their errors result from dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5677. [PMID: 38971789 PMCID: PMC11227593 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49722-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Goal-directed navigation requires continuously integrating uncertain self-motion and landmark cues into an internal sense of location and direction, concurrently planning future paths, and sequentially executing motor actions. Here, we provide a unified account of these processes with a computational model of probabilistic path planning in the framework of optimal feedback control under uncertainty. This model gives rise to diverse human navigational strategies previously believed to be distinct behaviors and predicts quantitatively both the errors and the variability of navigation across numerous experiments. This furthermore explains how sequential egocentric landmark observations form an uncertain allocentric cognitive map, how this internal map is used both in route planning and during execution of movements, and reconciles seemingly contradictory results about cue-integration behavior in navigation. Taken together, the present work provides a parsimonious explanation of how patterns of human goal-directed navigation behavior arise from the continuous and dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties in perception, cognition, and action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Kessler
- Centre for Cognitive Science & Institute of Psychology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Julia Frankenstein
- Centre for Cognitive Science & Institute of Psychology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Constantin A Rothkopf
- Centre for Cognitive Science & Institute of Psychology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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2
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Schaeffer EA, Oltmanns JRO, Blackwell AA, Lake R, Hastings P, Whishaw IQ, Wallace DG. Application of scaling to mouse spontaneous movement: Path curvature varies with speed and linear distance features isochrony. Behav Brain Res 2024; 469:115062. [PMID: 38768689 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
To conserve sequential behavior in relation to the topographic challenges of space, it is proposed that humans and nonhuman animals can organize behavior using different scaling principles. To deal with increases in linear distance, isochrony suggest that there is a corresponding increase in speed, whereas to deal with changes in curvature, speed is adjusted according to a power function. The present study investigates whether these principles provide a framework for describing the organization of mouse behavior in a variety of standard experimental tasks. The structure of movement was examined in ambulation during open field exploration; manipulation in a string-pulling task, in which a string is advanced hand over hand to retrieve food; and rung-walking, in which the limbs successively step from rung to rung on a horizontal ladder. Both principles were found to be conserved in the organization of mouse behavior across scales of movement. These principles provide novel measures of the temporal and geometric features of movement in the mouse and insights into how the temporal and geometric features of movement are conserved within different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Schaeffer
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.
| | | | - A A Blackwell
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vagas NV, USA
| | - R Lake
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - P Hastings
- School of Computing, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - I Q Whishaw
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - D G Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
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3
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Kadowaki H, Takeda T, Noto M, Mori M, Suzuki A, Ujima K, Nakamura T. Analysis of veering during gait in blind individuals. Gait Posture 2024; 109:183-188. [PMID: 38335771 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2024.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Veering occurs during blind walking, which causes individuals to deviate from crosswalks or fall off platforms. Despite being linked to static postural control, the relationship between veering and gait function (gait variability and plantar pressure), which is presumed to be related to dynamic postural control, has yet to be fully understood. RESEARCH QUESTION How do gait variability and plantar pressure affect veering? METHODS This experiment involved a walking task in which 11 blind adults were instructed to walk along a straight path using a white cane. We measured the veering values and analyzed the relationship between gait variability and plantar pressure. RESULTS One participant with a particularly severe veering tendency was excluded from the analysis. Based on the veering characteristics of the participants, the walking trajectories were classified as veering to the left (14 trials) or the right (14 trials) sides. Correlation analysis showed no significant correlation between the veering value and gait variability (vertical, lateral, and anterior-posterior). Plantar pressure (the ball of the fifth toe and the total) was significantly negatively correlate with the veering value. In contrast, the plantar pressure results for the participant who was excluded showed a different characteristic. SIGNIFICANCE We hypothesized that blind individuals would exhibit dynamic postural control to stay on a straight path by increasing the plantar pressure on the ball of the fifth toe and the total pressure on the opposite foot when veering occurs. However, this adaptation was not observed in a blind individual with severe veering tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Kadowaki
- Faculty of Education, Yamaguchi Gakugei University, Yamaguchi, Japan.
| | | | - Misako Noto
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Chikushi Jogakuen University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | | | - Akihiro Suzuki
- Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ichinoseki College, Ichinoseki, Japan
| | - Kazuhito Ujima
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Takashi Nakamura
- Faculty of Education, University of Teacher Education Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
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4
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Wilson RI. Neural Networks for Navigation: From Connections to Computations. Annu Rev Neurosci 2023; 46:403-423. [PMID: 37428603 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-110920-032645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Many animals can navigate toward a goal they cannot see based on an internal representation of that goal in the brain's spatial maps. These maps are organized around networks with stable fixed-point dynamics (attractors), anchored to landmarks, and reciprocally connected to motor control. This review summarizes recent progress in understanding these networks, focusing on studies in arthropods. One factor driving recent progress is the availability of the Drosophila connectome; however, it is increasingly clear that navigation depends on ongoing synaptic plasticity in these networks. Functional synapses appear to be continually reselected from the set of anatomical potential synapses based on the interaction of Hebbian learning rules, sensory feedback, attractor dynamics, and neuromodulation. This can explain how the brain's maps of space are rapidly updated; it may also explain how the brain can initialize goals as stable fixed points for navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel I Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
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5
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Hemm S, Baumann D, Duarte da Costa V, Tarnutzer AA. Test-re-test reliability and dynamics of the Fukuda–Unterberger stepping test. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1128760. [PMID: 37064178 PMCID: PMC10090507 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1128760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe Fukuda-stepping-test (FST), i.e., repetitive walking on the spot while blindfolded, has been proposed as a means to assess the integrity of the vestibular pathways. While its sensitivity to detect abnormalities in patients is limited, it may be useful in studying the physiology of the subjective-straight-ahead (SSA). Considering reported systematic shifts in SSA in humans, we hypothesize that such asymmetries arise from individual differences in the orientation/configuration of the macular organs and in central processing of vestibular input. We hypothesize that such asymmetries are stable over time in individual subjects. Alternatively, such asymmetries may arise from random noise in the sensory/motor systems involved, demonstrating low reproducibility over time.Materials and methodsTwenty-four subjects walked on the spot over 60 s while blindfolded (n = 6 trials per subject). Using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) placed at the chest, angular deviations were recorded and compared to manually-measured final positions. Both static (direction, magnitude) and dynamic (time-to-onset of deviation, pattern of deviations) parameters were retrieved from the yaw slopes.ResultsSignificant deviations were found in 15/24 participants for the manual measurements (leftwards = 8; rightwards = 7), whereas when using the IMU-sensor 13/24 participants showed significant shifts (leftwards = 9; rightwards = 4). There was a high correlation (0.98) between manually measured rotation angles (average absolute deviations = 58.0 deg ± 48.6 deg; intra-individual variability = 39 deg ± 24 deg) and sensor-based yaw slopes (1.00 deg/s ± 0.88 deg/s; 0.67 deg/s ± 0.41 deg/s). Relevant yaw deviation was detected 22.1 s ± 12.3 s (range = 5.6 s-59.2 s) after the onset of marching (no relevant yaw-deviation in 15/139 measurements), showing a mostly linear behavior over time.ConclusionWe observed significant inter-individual variability in task performance in the FST, reproducing findings from previous studies. With test-re-test reliability being moderate only, but at the same time observing a preference in the side of shifts in most trials and subjects, we conclude that likely both individually varying estimates of straight-ahead and random noise contribute to the pattern of angular deviations observed. Using an IMU-sensory based approach, additional dynamic parameters could be retrieved, emphasizing the value of such a quantitative approach over manual measurements. Such an approach may provide useful additional information to distinguish patients from healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Hemm
- School of Life Sciences, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Denise Baumann
- School of Life Sciences, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Vasco Duarte da Costa
- School of Life Sciences, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Andrea Tarnutzer
- Neurology, Cantonal Hospital of Baden, Baden, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Alexander Andrea Tarnutzer,
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Cardelli L, Tullo MG, Galati G, Sulpizio V. Effect of optic flow on spatial updating: insight from an immersive virtual reality study. Exp Brain Res 2023; 241:865-874. [PMID: 36781456 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06567-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Self-motion information is required to keep track of where we are with respect to our environment (spatial updating). Visual signals such as optic flow are relevant to provide information about self-motion, especially in the absence of vestibular and/or proprioceptive cues generated by physical movement. However, the role of optic flow on spatial updating is still debated. A virtual reality system based on a head-mounted display was used to allow participants to experience a self-motion sensation within a naturalistic environment in the absence of physical movement. We asked participants to keep track of spatial positions of a target during simulated self-motion while manipulating the availability of optic flow coming from the lower part of the environment (ground plane). In each trial, the ground could be a green lawn (optic flow ON) or covered in snow (optic flow OFF). We observed that the lack of optic flow on the ground had a detrimental effect on spatial updating. Furthermore, we explored the interaction between the optic flow availability and different characteristics of self-motion: we observed that increasing self-motion speed had a detrimental effect on spatial updating, especially in the absence of optic flow, while self-motion direction (leftward, forward, rightward) and path (translational and curvilinear) had no statically significant effect. Overall, we demonstrated that, in the absence of some idiothetic cues, the optic flow provided by the ground has a dominant role for the self-motion estimation and, hence, for the ability to update the spatial relationships between one's position and the position of the surrounding objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Cardelli
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Giulia Tullo
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.,Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Gaspare Galati
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Sulpizio
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
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Machowska-Krupa W, Cych P. Differences in Coordination Motor Abilities between Orienteers and Athletics Runners. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2643. [PMID: 36768012 PMCID: PMC9915626 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the differences in coordination motor abilities between track and field (T&F) runners and foot orienteers (Foot-O). Another purpose of this study was to analyse gender differences in terms of coordination motor abilities. Coordination skills tests were undertaken by 11 Foot-O and 11 T&F runners. Each group consisted of five women and six men who lived in the Lower Silesia region of Poland. The Foot-O group consisted of 11 orienteers aged 24.09 (±4.78) years, with a minimum 10 years of experience, while the T&F group consisted of 11 long-distance runners aged 24.91 (±4.04) years and with a performance level at distances of 5 km and 10 km equivalent to that for orienteering. Some of the participants represented world-class level (e.g., world junior medallists), and most of them were of national elite level. Coordination tests of motor abilities were chosen for their reliability and repeatability and included tests of spatial orientation, rhythmisation of movements, balance and kinaesthetic differentiation. The Foot-O group performed significantly better than the T&F group in terms of some coordination abilities. Differences were observed between the Foot-O and T&F runners in balance ability measured during the "Walk on the bench" test. Further research should be carried out in this area in order to confirm these differences.
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Does path integration contribute to human navigation in large-scale space? Psychon Bull Rev 2022:10.3758/s13423-022-02216-8. [DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02216-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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9
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Fukai K, Ogai Y, Shinohara S, Moriyama T. Evaluation of turn alternation in pill bugs using omnidirectional motion compensator ANTAM. ARTIFICIAL LIFE AND ROBOTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10015-022-00802-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Improved Visual SLAM Using Semantic Segmentation and Layout Estimation. ROBOTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/robotics11050091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The technological advances in computational systems have enabled very complex computer vision and machine learning approaches to perform efficiently and accurately. These new approaches can be considered a new set of tools to reshape the visual SLAM solutions. We present an investigation of the latest neuroscientific research that explains how the human brain can accurately navigate and map unknown environments. The accuracy suggests that human navigation is not affected by traditional visual odometry drifts resulting from tracking visual features. It utilises the geometrical structures of the surrounding objects within the navigated space. The identified objects and space geometrical shapes anchor the estimated space representation and mitigate the overall drift. Inspired by the human brain’s navigation techniques, this paper presents our efforts to incorporate two machine learning techniques into a VSLAM solution: semantic segmentation and layout estimation to imitate human abilities to map new environments. The proposed system benefits from the geometrical relations between the corner points of the cuboid environments to improve the accuracy of trajectory estimation. Moreover, the implemented SLAM solution semantically groups the map points and then tracks each group independently to limit the system drift. The implemented solution yielded higher trajectory accuracy and immunity to large pure rotations.
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11
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Osterlund Oltmanns JR, Schaeffer EA, Blackwell AA, Lake RI, Einhaus RM, Kartje GL, Wallace DG. Age-related changes in the organization of spontaneously occurring behaviors. Behav Processes 2022; 201:104713. [PMID: 35901935 PMCID: PMC10436331 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Age-related changes in spatial and temporal processing have been documented across a range of species. Rodent studies typically investigate differences in performance between adult and senescent animals; however, progressive loss of neurons in the hippocampus and cortex has been observed to occur as early as after adolescence. Therefore, the current study evaluated the effects of age in three- and ten-month-old female rats on the organization of movement in open field and food protection behaviors, two tasks that have previously dissociated hippocampal and cortical pathology. Age-related differences were observed in general measures of locomotion, spatial orientation, and attentional processing. The results of the current study are consistent with age-related changes in the processing of spatial information and motivation that occur earlier in life than previously anticipated. These observations establish a foundation for future studies evaluating interventions that influence these age-related differences in performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - E A Schaeffer
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - A A Blackwell
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - R I Lake
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - R M Einhaus
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - G L Kartje
- Research Service, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Loyola University Chicago Health, Sciences Division, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - D G Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.
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de Bivort B, Buchanan S, Skutt-Kakaria K, Gajda E, Ayroles J, O’Leary C, Reimers P, Akhund-Zade J, Senft R, Maloney R, Ho S, Werkhoven Z, Smith MAY. Precise Quantification of Behavioral Individuality From 80 Million Decisions Across 183,000 Flies. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:836626. [PMID: 35692381 PMCID: PMC9178272 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.836626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual animals behave differently from each other. This variability is a component of personality and arises even when genetics and environment are held constant. Discovering the biological mechanisms underlying behavioral variability depends on efficiently measuring individual behavioral bias, a requirement that is facilitated by automated, high-throughput experiments. We compiled a large data set of individual locomotor behavior measures, acquired from over 183,000 fruit flies walking in Y-shaped mazes. With this data set we first conducted a "computational ethology natural history" study to quantify the distribution of individual behavioral biases with unprecedented precision and examine correlations between behavioral measures with high power. We discovered a slight, but highly significant, left-bias in spontaneous locomotor decision-making. We then used the data to evaluate standing hypotheses about biological mechanisms affecting behavioral variability, specifically: the neuromodulator serotonin and its precursor transporter, heterogametic sex, and temperature. We found a variety of significant effects associated with each of these mechanisms that were behavior-dependent. This indicates that the relationship between biological mechanisms and behavioral variability may be highly context dependent. Going forward, automation of behavioral experiments will likely be essential in teasing out the complex causality of individuality.
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Tarnutzer AA, Duarte da Costa V, Baumann D, Hemm S. Heading Direction Is Significantly Biased by Preceding Whole-Body Roll-Orientation While Lying. Front Neurol 2022; 13:868144. [PMID: 35509993 PMCID: PMC9058079 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.868144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background After a prolonged static whole-body roll-tilt, a significant bias of the internal estimates of the direction of gravity has been observed when assessing the subjective visual vertical. Objective We hypothesized that this post-tilt bias represents a more general phenomenon, broadly affecting spatial orientation and navigation. Specifically, we predicted that after the prolonged roll-tilt to either side perceived straight-ahead would also be biased. Methods Twenty-five healthy participants were asked to rest in three different lying positions (supine, right-ear-down, and left-ear-down) for 5 min (“adaptation period”) prior to walking straight-ahead blindfolded for 2 min. Walking was recorded with the inertial measurement unit sensors attached to different body locations and with sensor shoe insoles. The raw data was segmented with a gait–event detection method. The Heading direction was determined and linear mixed-effects models were used for statistical analyses. Results A significant bias in heading into the direction of the previous roll-tilt position was observed in the post-adaptation trials. This bias was identified in both measurement systems and decreased again over the 2-min walking period. Conclusions The bias observed further confirms the influence of prior knowledge on spatial orientation and navigation. Specifically, it underlines the broad impact of a shifting internal estimate of direction of gravity over a range of distinct paradigms, illustrating similar decay time constants. In the broader context, the observed bias in perceived straight-ahead emphasizes that getting up in the morning after a good night's sleep is a vulnerable period, with an increased risk of falls and fall-related injuries due to non-availability of optimally tuned internal estimates of the direction of gravity and the direction of straight-ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Andrea Tarnutzer
- Department of Neurology, Cantonal Hospital of Baden, Baden, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Alexander Andrea Tarnutzer
| | - Vasco Duarte da Costa
- School of Life Sciences, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Denise Baumann
- School of Life Sciences, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Simone Hemm
- School of Life Sciences, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
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Fernández Velasco P. Group navigation and procedural metacognition. PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09515089.2022.2062316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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15
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Flexible navigational computations in the Drosophila central complex. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 73:102514. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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16
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Togni R, Kilchenmann A, Proffe A, Mullarkey J, Demkó L, Taylor WR, Zemp R. Turning in Circles: Understanding Manual Wheelchair Use Towards Developing User-Friendly Steering Systems. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:831528. [PMID: 35252140 PMCID: PMC8892830 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.831528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
For people with physical disabilities, manual wheelchairs are essential enablers of mobility, participation in society, and a healthy lifestyle. Their most general design offers great flexibility and direct feedback, but has been described to be inefficient and demands good coordination of the upper extremities while critically influencing users’ actions. Multiple research groups have used Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to quantify physical activities in wheelchairs arguing that knowledge over behavioural patterns in manual wheelchair usage can guide technological development and improved designs. The present study investigates turning behaviour among fulltime wheelchair users, laying the foundation of the development of novel steering systems that allow directing kinetic energy by means other than braking. Three wearable sensors were installed on the wheelchairs of 14 individuals for tracking movement over an entire week. During detected “moving windows”, phases where the velocities of the two rear wheels differed by more than 0.05 m/s were considered as turns. Kinematic characteristics for both turns-on-the-spot as well as for moving turns were then derived from the previously reconstructed wheeled path. For the grand total of 334 km of recorded wheelchair movement, a turn was detected every 3.6 m, which equates to about 900 turns per day on average and shows that changing and adjusting direction is fundamental in wheelchair practice. For moving turns, a median turning radius of 1.09 m and a median turning angle of 39° were found. With a median of 89°, typical turning angles were considerably larger for turns-on-the-spot, which accounted for roughly a quarter of the recognised turns and often started from a standstill. These results suggest that a frequent pattern in daily wheelchair usage is to initiate movement with an orienting turn-on-the-spot, and cover distances with short, straightforward sections while adjusting direction in small and tight moving turns. As large bends often require simultaneous pushing and breaking, this is, perhaps, the result of users intuitively optimising energy efficiency, but more research is needed to understand how the design of the assistive devices implicitly directs users’ movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reto Togni
- Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, Institute for Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Roland Zemp, ; Reto Togni,
| | - Andrea Kilchenmann
- Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, Institute for Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alba Proffe
- Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, Institute for Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Joel Mullarkey
- Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, Institute for Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - László Demkó
- Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University Hospital Balgrist, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - William R. Taylor
- Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, Institute for Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roland Zemp
- Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, Institute for Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Roland Zemp, ; Reto Togni,
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Hageter J, Waalkes M, Starkey J, Copeland H, Price H, Bays L, Showman C, Laverty S, Bergeron SA, Horstick EJ. Environmental and Molecular Modulation of Motor Individuality in Larval Zebrafish. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:777778. [PMID: 34938167 PMCID: PMC8685292 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.777778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Innate behavioral biases such as human handedness are a ubiquitous form of inter-individual variation that are not strictly hardwired into the genome and are influenced by diverse internal and external cues. Yet, genetic and environmental factors modulating behavioral variation remain poorly understood, especially in vertebrates. To identify genetic and environmental factors that influence behavioral variation, we take advantage of larval zebrafish light-search behavior. During light-search, individuals preferentially turn in leftward or rightward loops, in which directional bias is sustained and non-heritable. Our previous work has shown that bias is maintained by a habenula-rostral PT circuit and genes associated with Notch signaling. Here we use a medium-throughput recording strategy and unbiased analysis to show that significant individual to individual variation exists in wildtype larval zebrafish turning preference. We classify stable left, right, and unbiased turning types, with most individuals exhibiting a directional preference. We show unbiased behavior is not due to a loss of photo-responsiveness but reduced persistence in same-direction turning. Raising larvae at elevated temperature selectively reduces the leftward turning type and impacts rostral PT neurons, specifically. Exposure to conspecifics, variable salinity, environmental enrichment, and physical disturbance does not significantly impact inter-individual turning bias. Pharmacological manipulation of Notch signaling disrupts habenula development and turn bias individuality in a dose dependent manner, establishing a direct role of Notch signaling. Last, a mutant allele of a known Notch pathway affecter gene, gsx2, disrupts turn bias individuality, implicating that brain regions independent of the previously established habenula-rostral PT likely contribute to inter-individual variation. These results establish that larval zebrafish is a powerful vertebrate model for inter-individual variation with established neural targets showing sensitivity to specific environmental and gene signaling disruptions. Our results provide new insight into how variation is generated in the vertebrate nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hageter
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Matthew Waalkes
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Jacob Starkey
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Haylee Copeland
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Heather Price
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Logan Bays
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Casey Showman
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Sean Laverty
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, United States
| | - Sadie A. Bergeron
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Eric J. Horstick
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
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18
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Abstract
Spatial navigation is a complex cognitive activity that depends on perception, action, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving. Effective navigation depends on the ability to combine information from multiple spatial cues to estimate one's position and the locations of goals. Spatial cues include landmarks, and other visible features of the environment, and body-based cues generated by self-motion (vestibular, proprioceptive, and efferent information). A number of projects have investigated the extent to which visual cues and body-based cues are combined optimally according to statistical principles. Possible limitations of these investigations are that they have not accounted for navigators' prior experiences with or assumptions about the task environment and have not tested complete decision models. We examine cue combination in spatial navigation from a Bayesian perspective and present the fundamental principles of Bayesian decision theory. We show that a complete Bayesian decision model with an explicit loss function can explain a discrepancy between optimal cue weights and empirical cues weights observed by (Chen et al. Cognitive Psychology, 95, 105-144, 2017) and that the use of informative priors to represent cue bias can explain the incongruity between heading variability and heading direction observed by (Zhao and Warren 2015b, Psychological Science, 26[6], 915-924). We also discuss (Petzschner and Glasauer's , Journal of Neuroscience, 31(47), 17220-17229, 2011) use of priors to explain biases in estimates of linear displacements during visual path integration. We conclude that Bayesian decision theory offers a productive theoretical framework for investigating human spatial navigation and believe that it will lead to a deeper understanding of navigational behaviors.
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19
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Hargus C, Epstein JM, Mandadapu KK. Odd Diffusivity of Chiral Random Motion. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:178001. [PMID: 34739294 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.178001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Diffusive transport is characterized by a diffusivity tensor which may, in general, contain both a symmetric and an antisymmetric component. Although the latter is often neglected, we derive Green-Kubo relations showing it to be a general characteristic of random motion breaking time-reversal and parity symmetries, as encountered in chiral active matter. In analogy with the odd viscosity appearing in chiral active fluids, we term this component the odd diffusivity. We show how odd diffusivity emerges in a chiral random walk model, and demonstrate the applicability of the Green-Kubo relations through molecular dynamics simulations of a passive tracer particle diffusing in a chiral active bath.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory Hargus
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Epstein
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Kranthi K Mandadapu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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20
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Leonte MB, Leonhardt A, Borst A, Mauss AS. Aerial course stabilization is impaired in motion-blind flies. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:271038. [PMID: 34297111 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Visual motion detection is among the best understood neuronal computations. As extensively investigated in tethered flies, visual motion signals are assumed to be crucial to detect and counteract involuntary course deviations. During free flight, however, course changes are also signalled by other sensory systems. Therefore, it is as yet unclear to what extent motion vision contributes to course control. To address this question, we genetically rendered flies motion-blind by blocking their primary motion-sensitive neurons and quantified their free-flight performance. We found that such flies have difficulty maintaining a straight flight trajectory, much like unimpaired flies in the dark. By unilateral wing clipping, we generated an asymmetry in propulsive force and tested the ability of flies to compensate for this perturbation. While wild-type flies showed a remarkable level of compensation, motion-blind animals exhibited pronounced circling behaviour. Our results therefore directly confirm that motion vision is necessary to fly straight under realistic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Bianca Leonte
- Circuits - Computation - Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, Martinsried 82152, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University, Großhadernerstr. 2, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Aljoscha Leonhardt
- Circuits - Computation - Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Alexander Borst
- Circuits - Computation - Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Alex S Mauss
- Circuits - Computation - Models, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, Martinsried 82152, Germany
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21
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Osterlund Oltmanns JR, Lipton MH, Adamczyk N, Lake RI, Blackwell AA, Schaeffer EA, Tsai SY, Kartje GL, Wallace DG. Organization of exploratory behavior under dark conditions in female and male rats. Behav Processes 2021; 189:104437. [PMID: 34089779 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sexually dimorphic performance has been observed across humans and rodents in many spatial tasks. In general, these spatial tasks do not dissociate the use of environmental and self-movement cues. Previous work has demonstrated a role for self-movement cue processing in organizing open field behavior; however, these studies have not directly compared female and male movement characteristics. The current study examined the organization of open field behavior under dark conditions in female and male rats. Significant differences between female and male rats were observed in the location of stopping behavior relative to a cue and the topography exhibited during lateral movements. In contrast, no sex differences were observed on measures used to detect self-movement cue processing deficits. These results provide evidence that female and male rats are similar in their use of self-movement cues to organize open field behavior; however, other factors may be contributing to differences in performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan H Lipton
- Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, United States
| | - Natalie Adamczyk
- Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, United States
| | - Rami I Lake
- Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, United States
| | - Ashley A Blackwell
- Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, United States
| | - Ericka A Schaeffer
- Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, United States
| | - Shih-Yen Tsai
- Loyola University Health Sciences Division, Maywood, IL, United States; Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital, Research Service, Hines, IL, United States
| | - Gwendolyn L Kartje
- Loyola University Health Sciences Division, Maywood, IL, United States; Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital, Research Service, Hines, IL, United States
| | - Douglas G Wallace
- Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois, United States
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22
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Bailey JD, Benefer CM, Blackshaw RP, Codling EA. Walking behaviour in the ground beetle, Poecilus cupreus: dispersal potential, intermittency and individual variation. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 111:200-209. [PMID: 32993822 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485320000565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal is a key ecological process affecting community dynamics and the maintenance of populations. There is increasing awareness of the need to understand individual dispersal potential to better inform population-level dispersal, allowing more accurate models of the spread of invasive and beneficial insects, aiding crop and pest management strategies. Here, fine-scale movements of Poecilus cupreus, an important agricultural carabid predator, were recorded using a locomotion compensator and key movement characteristics were quantified. Net displacement increased more rapidly than predicted by a simple correlated random walk model with near ballistic behaviour observed. Individuals displayed a latent ability to head on a constant bearing for protracted time periods, despite no clear evidence of a population level global orientation bias. Intermittent bouts of movement and non-movement were observed, with both the frequency and duration of bouts of movement varying at the inter- and intra-individual level. Variation in movement behaviour was observed at both the inter- and intra- individual level. Analysis suggests that individuals have the potential to rapidly disperse over a wider area than predicted by simple movement models parametrised at the population level. This highlights the importance of considering the role of individual variation when analysing movement and attempting to predict dispersal distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D Bailey
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Carly M Benefer
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
| | - Rod P Blackshaw
- Blackshaw Research and Consultancy, Parade, Chudleigh, TQ13 0JF
| | - Edward A Codling
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
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23
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Murakami H, Feliciani C, Nishiyama Y, Nishinari K. Mutual anticipation can contribute to self-organization in human crowds. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/12/eabe7758. [PMID: 33731351 PMCID: PMC7968841 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe7758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Human crowds provide paradigmatic examples of collective behavior emerging through self-organization. Understanding their dynamics is crucial to help manage mass events and daily pedestrian transportation. Although recent findings emphasized that pedestrians' interactions are fundamentally anticipatory in nature, whether and how individual anticipation functionally benefits the group is not well understood. Here, we show the link between individual anticipation and emergent pattern formation through our experiments of lane formation, where unidirectional lanes are spontaneously formed in bidirectional pedestrian flows. Manipulating the anticipatory abilities of some of the pedestrians by distracting them visually delayed the collective pattern formation. Moreover, both the distracted pedestrians and the nondistracted ones had difficulties avoiding collisions while navigating. These results imply that avoidance maneuvers are normally a cooperative process and that mutual anticipation between pedestrians facilitates efficient pattern formation. Our findings may influence various fields, including traffic management, decision-making research, and swarm dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisashi Murakami
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan.
| | - Claudio Feliciani
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Yuta Nishiyama
- Information and Management Systems Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata 940-2188, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Nishinari
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
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24
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Banovetz MT, I Lake R, Blackwell AA, Oltmanns JRO, Schaeffer EA, M Yoder R, Wallace DG. Effects of acquired vestibular pathology on the organization of mouse exploratory behavior. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:1125-1139. [PMID: 33555382 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-06032-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rodent open field behavior is highly organized and occurs spontaneously in novel environments. This organization is disrupted in mice with vestibular pathology, suggesting vestibular signals provide important contributions to this behavior. A caveat to this interpretation is that previous studies have investigated open field behavior in adult mice with congenital vestibular dysfunction, and the observed deficits may have resulted from developmental changes instead of the lack of vestibular signals. To determine which aspects of open field behavior depend specifically on vestibular signals, mouse movement organization was examined under dark and light conditions at two time points, 1 and 2 months, after bilateral chemical labyrinthectomy. Our results show that acquired vestibular damage selectively disrupted the organization of open field behavior. Access to visual environmental cues attenuated, but did not eliminate, these significant group differences. Improvement in movement organization from the first to the second testing session was limited to progression path circuity. These observations provide evidence for the role of the vestibular system in maintaining spatial orientation and establishes a foundation to investigate neuroplasticity in brain systems that process self-movement information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark T Banovetz
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 60115, USA
| | - Rami I Lake
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 60115, USA
| | - Ashley A Blackwell
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 60115, USA
| | | | - Ericka A Schaeffer
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 60115, USA
| | - Ryan M Yoder
- Department of Psychology, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, 29528, USA
| | - Douglas G Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 60115, USA.
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25
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Dacke M, Baird E, El Jundi B, Warrant EJ, Byrne M. How Dung Beetles Steer Straight. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:243-256. [PMID: 32822556 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-042020-102149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Distant and predictable features in the environment make ideal compass cues to allow movement along a straight path. Ball-rolling dung beetles use a wide range of different signals in the day or night sky to steer themselves along a fixed bearing. These include the sun, the Milky Way, and the polarization pattern generated by the moon. Almost two decades of research into these remarkable creatures have shown that the dung beetle's compass is flexible and readily adapts to the cues available in its current surroundings. In the morning and afternoon, dung beetles use the sun to orient, but at midday, they prefer to use the wind, and at night or in a forest, they rely primarily on polarized skylight to maintain straight paths. We are just starting to understand the neuronal substrate underlying the dung beetle's compass and the mystery of why these beetles start each journey with a dance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden; ,
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;
| | - Emily Baird
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;
| | - Basil El Jundi
- Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany;
| | - Eric J Warrant
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden; ,
| | - Marcus Byrne
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;
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26
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Burles F, Iaria G. Behavioural and cognitive mechanisms of Developmental Topographical Disorientation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20932. [PMID: 33262419 PMCID: PMC7708628 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77759-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals affected by Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) get lost on a daily basis, even in the most familiar of surroundings such as their neighbourhood, the building where they have worked for many years, and, in extreme cases, even in their own homes. Individuals with DTD report a lifelong selective inability to orient despite otherwise well-preserved general cognitive functions, and the absence of any acquired brain injury or neurological condition, with general intelligence reported to be within the normal range. To date, the mechanisms underlying such a selective developmental condition remain unknown. Here, we report the findings of a 10-year-long study investigating the behavioural and cognitive mechanisms of DTD in a large sample of 1211 cases. We describe the demographics, heritability pattern, self-reported and objective spatial abilities, and some personality traits of individuals with DTD as compared to a sample of 1624 healthy controls; importantly, we test the specific hypothesis that the presence of DTD is significantly related to the inability of the individuals to form a mental representation of the spatial surroundings (i.e., a cognitive map). We found that individuals with DTD reported relatively greater levels of neuroticism and negative affect, and rated themselves more poorly on self-report measures of memory and imagery skills related to objects, faces, and places. While performing interactive tasks, as a group, the individuals with DTD performed slightly worse on a scene-based perspective-taking task, and, notably struggled to solve tasks that demand the generation and use of a cognitive map. These novel findings help define the phenotype of DTD, and lay the foundation for future studies of the neurological and genetic mechanisms of this lifelong condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ford Burles
- NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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27
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Huffman DJ, Ekstrom AD. An Important Step toward Understanding the Role of Body-based Cues on Human Spatial Memory for Large-Scale Environments. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:167-179. [PMID: 33226317 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Moving our body through space is fundamental to human navigation; however, technical and physical limitations have hindered our ability to study the role of these body-based cues experimentally. We recently designed an experiment using novel immersive virtual-reality technology, which allowed us to tightly control the availability of body-based cues to determine how these cues influence human spatial memory [Huffman, D. J., & Ekstrom, A. D. A modality-independent network underlies the retrieval of large-scale spatial environments in the human brain. Neuron, 104, 611-622, 2019]. Our analysis of behavior and fMRI data revealed a similar pattern of results across a range of body-based cues conditions, thus suggesting that participants likely relied primarily on vision to form and retrieve abstract, holistic representations of the large-scale environments in our experiment. We ended our paper by discussing a number of caveats and future directions for research on the role of body-based cues in human spatial memory. Here, we reiterate and expand on this discussion, and we use a commentary in this issue by A. Steel, C. E. Robertson, and J. S. Taube (Current promises and limitations of combined virtual reality and functional magnetic resonance imaging research in humans: A commentary on Huffman and Ekstrom (2019). Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2020) as a helpful discussion point regarding some of the questions that we think will be the most interesting in the coming years. We highlight the exciting possibility of taking a more naturalistic approach to study the behavior, cognition, and neuroscience of navigation. Moreover, we share the hope that researchers who study navigation in humans and nonhuman animals will synergize to provide more rapid advancements in our understanding of cognition and the brain.
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28
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Allen GM, Lee KC, Barnhart EL, Tsuchida MA, Wilson CA, Gutierrez E, Groisman A, Theriot JA, Mogilner A. Cell Mechanics at the Rear Act to Steer the Direction of Cell Migration. Cell Syst 2020; 11:286-299.e4. [PMID: 32916096 PMCID: PMC7530145 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Motile cells navigate complex environments by changing their direction of travel, generating left-right asymmetries in their mechanical subsystems to physically turn. Currently, little is known about how external directional cues are propagated along the length scale of the whole cell and integrated with its force-generating apparatus to steer migration mechanically. We examine the mechanics of spontaneous cell turning in fish epidermal keratocytes and find that the mechanical asymmetries responsible for turning behavior predominate at the rear of the cell, where there is asymmetric centripetal actin flow. Using experimental perturbations, we identify two linked feedback loops connecting myosin II contractility, adhesion strength and actin network flow in turning cells that are sufficient to explain the observed cell shapes and trajectories. Notably, asymmetries in actin polymerization at the cell leading edge play only a minor role in the mechanics of cell turning-that is, cells steer from the rear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg M Allen
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kun Chun Lee
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Erin L Barnhart
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mark A Tsuchida
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Cyrus A Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Edgar Gutierrez
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92023, USA
| | - Alexander Groisman
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92023, USA
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Alex Mogilner
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA.
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29
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Bouchekioua Y, Blaisdell AP, Kosaki Y, Tsutsui-Kimura I, Craddock P, Mimura M, Watanabe S. Spatial inference without a cognitive map: the role of higher-order path integration. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:52-65. [PMID: 32939978 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The cognitive map has been taken as the standard model for how agents infer the most efficient route to a goal location. Alternatively, path integration - maintaining a homing vector during navigation - constitutes a primitive and presumably less-flexible strategy than cognitive mapping because path integration relies primarily on vestibular stimuli and pace counting. The historical debate as to whether complex spatial navigation is ruled by associative learning or cognitive map mechanisms has been challenged by experimental difficulties in successfully neutralizing path integration. To our knowledge, there are only three studies that have succeeded in resolving this issue, all showing clear evidence of novel route taking, a behaviour outside the scope of traditional associative learning accounts. Nevertheless, there is no mechanistic explanation as to how animals perform novel route taking. We propose here a new model of spatial learning that combines path integration with higher-order associative learning, and demonstrate how it can account for novel route taking without a cognitive map, thus resolving this long-standing debate. We show how our higher-order path integration (HOPI) model can explain spatial inferences, such as novel detours and shortcuts. Our analysis suggests that a phylogenetically ancient, vector-based navigational strategy utilizing associative processes is powerful enough to support complex spatial inferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youcef Bouchekioua
- Department of Psychology, Keio University, Tokyo, 108-8345, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Aaron P Blaisdell
- Department of Psychology & Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1563, U.S.A
| | - Yutaka Kosaki
- Department of Psychology, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-8644, Japan
| | - Iku Tsutsui-Kimura
- Center for Brain Science, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Paul Craddock
- Department of Psychology, University of Lille, Villeneuve d'Ascq, 59653, France
| | - Masaru Mimura
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Shigeru Watanabe
- Department of Psychology, Keio University, Tokyo, 108-8345, Japan
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30
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Okubo TS, Patella P, D'Alessandro I, Wilson RI. A Neural Network for Wind-Guided Compass Navigation. Neuron 2020; 107:924-940.e18. [PMID: 32681825 PMCID: PMC7507644 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Spatial maps in the brain are most accurate when they are linked to external sensory cues. Here, we show that the compass in the Drosophila brain is linked to the direction of the wind. Shifting the wind rightward rotates the compass as if the fly were turning leftward, and vice versa. We describe the mechanisms of several computations that integrate wind information into the compass. First, an intensity-invariant representation of wind direction is computed by comparing left-right mechanosensory signals. Then, signals are reformatted to reduce the coding biases inherent in peripheral mechanics, and wind cues are brought into the same circular coordinate system that represents visual cues and self-motion signals. Because the compass incorporates both mechanosensory and visual cues, it should enable navigation under conditions where no single cue is consistently reliable. These results show how local sensory signals can be transformed into a global, multimodal, abstract representation of space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuo S Okubo
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Patella
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Rachel I Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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31
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Rothacher Y, Nguyen A, Lenggenhager B, Kunz A, Brugger P. Walking through virtual mazes: Spontaneous alternation behaviour in human adults. Cortex 2020; 127:1-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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32
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Fernández Velasco
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d’études Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Roberto Casati
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d’études Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
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33
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Multimodal interactions in insect navigation. Anim Cogn 2020; 23:1129-1141. [PMID: 32323027 PMCID: PMC7700066 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01383-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Animals travelling through the world receive input from multiple sensory modalities that could be important for the guidance of their journeys. Given the availability of a rich array of cues, from idiothetic information to input from sky compasses and visual information through to olfactory and other cues (e.g. gustatory, magnetic, anemotactic or thermal) it is no surprise to see multimodality in most aspects of navigation. In this review, we present the current knowledge of multimodal cue use during orientation and navigation in insects. Multimodal cue use is adapted to a species’ sensory ecology and shapes navigation behaviour both during the learning of environmental cues and when performing complex foraging journeys. The simultaneous use of multiple cues is beneficial because it provides redundant navigational information, and in general, multimodality increases robustness, accuracy and overall foraging success. We use examples from sensorimotor behaviours in mosquitoes and flies as well as from large scale navigation in ants, bees and insects that migrate seasonally over large distances, asking at each stage how multiple cues are combined behaviourally and what insects gain from using different modalities.
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34
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Caramenti M, Pretto P, Lafortuna CL, Bresciani JP, Dubois A. Influence of the Size of the Field of View on Visual Perception While Running in a Treadmill-Mediated Virtual Environment. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2344. [PMID: 31681123 PMCID: PMC6812648 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated how the size of the horizontal field of view (FoV) affects visual speed perception with individuals running on a treadmill. Twelve moderately trained to trained participants ran on a treadmill at two different speeds (8 and 12 km/h) in front of a moving virtual scene. Different masks were used to manipulate the visible visual field, masking either the central or the peripheral area of the virtual scene or showing the full visual field. We asked participants to match the visual speed of the scene to their actual running speed. For each trial, participants indicated whether the scene was moving faster or slower than they were running. Visual speed was adjusted according to the responses using a staircase method until the Point of Subjective Equality was reached, that is until visual and running speed were perceived as matching. For both speeds and all FoV conditions, participants underestimated visual speed relative to the actual running speed. However, this underestimation was significant only when the peripheral FoV was masked. These results confirm that the size of the FoV should absolutely be taken into account for the design of treadmill-mediated virtual environments (VEs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Caramenti
- Department of Neurosciences and Movement Sciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Segrate, Italy.,HumanTech Institute, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | | | - Claudio L Lafortuna
- Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan, Italy
| | - Jean-Pierre Bresciani
- Department of Neurosciences and Movement Sciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,LPNC, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Amandine Dubois
- Department of Neurosciences and Movement Sciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Université de Lorraine, 2LPN-CEMA Group (Cognition-EMotion-Action), EA 7489, Metz, France
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35
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Machowska W, Cych P, Siemieński A, Migasiewicz J. Effect of orienteering experience on walking and running in the absence of vision and hearing. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7736. [PMID: 31579610 PMCID: PMC6766364 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to examine differences between track and field (T&F) runners and foot-orienteers (Foot-O) in the walking and running tests in the absence of vision and hearing. We attempted to determine whether experienced foot orienteers show better ability to maintain the indicated direction compared to track and field runners. Methods This study examined 11 Foot-O and 11 T&F runners. The study consisted of an interview, a field experiment of walking and running in a straight line in the absence of vision and hearing, and coordination skills tests. Results Participants moved straight min. 20 m and max. 40 m during the walking test and min. 20 m and max. 125 m during the running test and then they moved around in a circle. Significant differences between groups were found for the distance covered by walking. Differences between sexes were documented for the distance covered by running and angular deviations. Relationship between lateralization and tendencies to veer were not found. Differences were observed between Foot-O and T&F groups in terms of coordination abilities. Conclusions Participants moved in circles irrespective of the type of movement and experience in practicing the sport. Orienteers may use information about their tendencies to turning more often left or right to correct it during their races in dense forests with limited visibility or during night orienteering competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Machowska
- Department of Sports Didactics, University School of Physical Education in Wrocław, Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland
| | - Piotr Cych
- Department of Sports Didactics, University School of Physical Education in Wrocław, Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland
| | - Adam Siemieński
- Department of Biomechanics, University School of Physical Education in Wrocław, Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland
| | - Juliusz Migasiewicz
- Department of Sports Didactics, University School of Physical Education in Wrocław, Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland
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36
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Evidence for allocentric boundary and goal direction information in the human entorhinal cortex and subiculum. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4004. [PMID: 31488828 PMCID: PMC6728372 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11802-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In rodents, cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (EC) and subiculum code for the allocentric direction to environment boundaries, which is an important prerequisite for accurate positional coding. Although in humans boundary-related signals have been reported, there is no evidence that they contain allocentric direction information. Furthermore, it has not been possible to separate boundary versus goal direction signals in the EC/subiculum. Here, to address these questions, we had participants learn a virtual environment containing four unique boundaries. Participants then underwent fMRI scanning where they made judgements about the allocentric direction of a cue object. Using multivariate decoding, we found information regarding allocentric boundary direction in posterior EC and subiculum, whereas allocentric goal direction was decodable from anterior EC and subiculum. These data provide the first evidence of allocentric boundary coding in humans, and are consistent with recent conceptualisations of a division of labour within the EC.
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37
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Khaldy L, Peleg O, Tocco C, Mahadevan L, Byrne M, Dacke M. The effect of step size on straight-line orientation. J R Soc Interface 2019; 16:20190181. [PMID: 31387484 PMCID: PMC6731515 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Moving along a straight path is a surprisingly difficult task. This is because, with each ensuing step, noise is generated in the motor and sensory systems, causing the animal to deviate from its intended route. When relying solely on internal sensory information to correct for this noise, the directional error generated with each stride accumulates, ultimately leading to a curved path. In contrast, external compass cues effectively allow the animal to correct for errors in its bearing. Here, we studied straight-line orientation in two different sized dung beetles. This allowed us to characterize and model the size of the directional error generated with each step, in the absence of external visual compass cues (motor error) as well as in the presence of these cues (compass and motor errors). In addition, we model how dung beetles balance the influence of internal and external orientation cues as they orient along straight paths under the open sky. We conclude that the directional error that unavoidably accumulates as the beetle travels is inversely proportional to the step size of the insect, and that both beetle species weigh the two sources of directional information in a similar fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana Khaldy
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Orit Peleg
- Department of Computer Science, BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Claudia Tocco
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - L Mahadevan
- Departments of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Kavli Institute for NanoBio Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Marcus Byrne
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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38
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Gkanias E, Risse B, Mangan M, Webb B. From skylight input to behavioural output: A computational model of the insect polarised light compass. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1007123. [PMID: 31318859 PMCID: PMC6638774 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Many insects navigate by integrating the distances and directions travelled on an outward path, allowing direct return to the starting point. Fundamental to the reliability of this process is the use of a neural compass based on external celestial cues. Here we examine how such compass information could be reliably computed by the insect brain, given realistic constraints on the sky polarisation pattern and the insect eye sensor array. By processing the degree of polarisation in different directions for different parts of the sky, our model can directly estimate the solar azimuth and also infer the confidence of the estimate. We introduce a method to correct for tilting of the sensor array, as might be caused by travel over uneven terrain. We also show that the confidence can be used to approximate the change in sun position over time, allowing the compass to remain fixed with respect to 'true north' during long excursions. We demonstrate that the compass is robust to disturbances and can be effectively used as input to an existing neural model of insect path integration. We discuss the plausibility of our model to be mapped to known neural circuits, and to be implemented for robot navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evripidis Gkanias
- School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Risse
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Mangan
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Webb
- School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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39
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Donaldson T, Jennings K, Cherep L, Blankenship P, Blackwell A, Yoder R, Wallace D. Progression and stop organization reveals conservation of movement organization during dark exploration across rats and mice. Behav Processes 2019; 162:29-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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40
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Filianina M. Wo ist oben? CHEM UNSERER ZEIT 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ciuz.201970204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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41
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Warren TL, Giraldo YM, Dickinson MH. Celestial navigation in Drosophila. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/Suppl_1/jeb186148. [PMID: 30728228 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.186148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many casual observers typecast Drosophila melanogaster as a stationary pest that lurks around fruit and wine. However, the omnipresent fruit fly, which thrives even in desert habitats, likely established and maintained its cosmopolitan status via migration over large spatial scales. To perform long-distance dispersal, flies must actively maintain a straight compass heading through the use of external orientation cues, such as those derived from the sky. In this Review, we address how D. melanogaster accomplishes long-distance navigation using celestial cues. We focus on behavioral and physiological studies indicating that fruit flies can navigate both to a pattern of linearly polarized light and to the position of the sun - the same cues utilized by more heralded insect navigators such as monarch butterflies and desert ants. In both cases, fruit flies perform menotaxis, selecting seemingly arbitrary headings that they then maintain over time. We discuss how the fly's nervous system detects and processes this sensory information to direct the steering maneuvers that underlie navigation. In particular, we highlight recent findings that compass neurons in the central complex, a set of midline neuropils, are essential for navigation. Taken together, these results suggest that fruit flies share an ancient, latent capacity for celestial navigation with other insects. Furthermore, they illustrate the potential of D. melanogaster to help us to elucidate both the cellular basis of navigation and mechanisms of directed dispersal on a landscape scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy L Warren
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Ysabel M Giraldo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Michael H Dickinson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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42
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Rothacher Y, Nguyen A, Lenggenhager B, Kunz A, Brugger P. Visual capture of gait during redirected walking. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17974. [PMID: 30568182 PMCID: PMC6299278 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36035-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Redirected walking allows users of virtual reality applications to explore virtual environments larger than the available physical space. This is achieved by manipulating users’ walking trajectories through visual rotation of the virtual surroundings, without users noticing this manipulation. Apart from its applied relevance, redirected walking is an attractive paradigm to investigate human perception and locomotion. An important yet unsolved question concerns individual differences in the ability to detect redirection. Addressing this question, we administered several perceptual-cognitive tasks to healthy participants, whose thresholds of detecting redirection in a virtual environment were also determined. We report relations between individual thresholds and measures of multisensory weighting (visually-assisted postural stability (Romberg quotient), subjective visual vertical (rod-and-frame test) and illusory self-motion (vection)). The performance in the rod-and-frame test, a classical measure of visual dependency regarding postural information, showed the strongest relation to redirection detection thresholds: The higher the visual dependency, the higher the detection threshold. This supports the interpretation of users’ neglect of redirection manipulations as a “visual capture of gait”. We discuss how future interdisciplinary studies, merging the fields of virtual reality and psychology, may help improving virtual reality applications and simultaneously deepen our understanding of how humans process multisensory conflicts during locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Rothacher
- Department of Neurology, Neuropsychology Unit, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Anh Nguyen
- Innovation Center Virtual Reality, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bigna Lenggenhager
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Kunz
- Innovation Center Virtual Reality, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Brugger
- Department of Neurology, Neuropsychology Unit, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP) and Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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43
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Zhao M. Human spatial representation: what we cannot learn from the studies of rodent navigation. J Neurophysiol 2018; 120:2453-2465. [PMID: 30133384 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00781.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of human and rodent navigation often reveal a remarkable cross-species similarity between the cognitive and neural mechanisms of navigation. Such cross-species resemblance often overshadows some critical differences between how humans and nonhuman animals navigate. In this review, I propose that a navigation system requires both a storage system (i.e., representing spatial information) and a positioning system (i.e., sensing spatial information) to operate. I then argue that the way humans represent spatial information is different from that inferred from the cellular activity observed during rodent navigation. Such difference spans the whole hierarchy of spatial representation, from representing the structure of an environment to the representation of subregions of an environment, routes and paths, and the distance and direction relative to a goal location. These cross-species inconsistencies suggest that what we learn from rodent navigation does not always transfer to human navigation. Finally, I argue for closing the loop for the dominant, unidirectional animal-to-human approach in navigation research so that insights from behavioral studies of human navigation may also flow back to shed light on the cellular mechanisms of navigation for both humans and other mammals (i.e., a human-to-animal approach).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mintao Zhao
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia , Norwich , United Kingdom.,Department of Human Perception, Cognition, and Action, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics , Tübingen , Germany
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44
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Reynolds A, Ceccon E, Baldauf C, Karina Medeiros T, Miramontes O. Lévy foraging patterns of rural humans. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199099. [PMID: 29912927 PMCID: PMC6005560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Movement patterns resembling Lévy walks, often attributed to the execution of an advantageous probabilistic searching strategy, are found in a wide variety of organisms, from cells to human hunter-gatherers. It has been suggested that such movement patterns may be fundamental to how humans interact and experience the world and that they may have arisen early in our genus with the evolution of a hunting and gathering lifestyle. Here we show that Lévy walks are evident in the Me’Phaa of Mexico, in Brazilian Cariri farmers and in Amazonian farmers when gathering firewood, wild fruit and nuts. Around 50% of the search patterns resemble Lévy walks and these are characterized by Lévy exponents close to 1.7. The other search patterns more closely resemble bi-phasic walks. We suggest potential generative mechanisms for the occurrence of these ubiquitous Lévy walks which can be used to guide future studies on human mobility. We show that frequent excursions and meanderings from pre-existing trails can account for our observations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eliane Ceccon
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Cristina Baldauf
- Biological and Health Sciences Centre, Federal Rural University of Semiarid Region (UFERSA), Mossoró, Brazil
| | - Tassia Karina Medeiros
- Biological and Health Sciences Centre, Federal Rural University of Semiarid Region (UFERSA), Mossoró, Brazil
| | - Octavio Miramontes
- Instituto de Fisica & C3, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.,Applied Mathematics and Statistics, EIAE, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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45
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Warren TL, Weir PT, Dickinson MH. Flying Drosophilamelanogaster maintain arbitrary but stable headings relative to the angle of polarized light. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.177550. [PMID: 29593084 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.177550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Animals must use external cues to maintain a straight course over long distances. In this study, we investigated how the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster selects and maintains a flight heading relative to the axis of linearly polarized light, a visual cue produced by the atmospheric scattering of sunlight. To track flies' headings over extended periods, we used a flight simulator that coupled the angular velocity of dorsally presented polarized light to the stroke amplitude difference of the animals' wings. In the simulator, most flies actively maintained a stable heading relative to the axis of polarized light for the duration of 15 min flights. We found that individuals selected arbitrary, unpredictable headings relative to the polarization axis, which demonstrates that D. melanogaster can perform proportional navigation using a polarized light pattern. When flies flew in two consecutive bouts separated by a 5 min gap, the two flight headings were correlated, suggesting individuals retain a memory of their chosen heading. We found that adding a polarized light pattern to a light intensity gradient enhanced flies' orientation ability, suggesting D. melanogaster use a combination of cues to navigate. For both polarized light and intensity cues, flies' capacity to maintain a stable heading gradually increased over several minutes from the onset of flight. Our findings are consistent with a model in which each individual initially orients haphazardly but then settles on a heading which is maintained via a self-reinforcing process. This may be a general dispersal strategy for animals with no target destination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy L Warren
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97401, USA.,Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
| | - Peter T Weir
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.,Data Science, Yelp, San Francisco, CA, 94111, USA
| | - Michael H Dickinson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
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46
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Caramenti M, Lafortuna CL, Mugellini E, Abou Khaled O, Bresciani JP, Dubois A. Matching optical flow to motor speed in virtual reality while running on a treadmill. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0195781. [PMID: 29641564 PMCID: PMC5895071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated how visual and kinaesthetic/efferent information is integrated for speed perception in running. Twelve moderately trained to trained subjects ran on a treadmill at three different speeds (8, 10, 12 km/h) in front of a moving virtual scene. They were asked to match the visual speed of the scene to their running speed-i.e., treadmill's speed. For each trial, participants indicated whether the scene was moving slower or faster than they were running. Visual speed was adjusted according to their response using a staircase until the Point of Subjective Equality (PSE) was reached, i.e., until visual and running speed were perceived as equivalent. For all three running speeds, participants systematically underestimated the visual speed relative to their actual running speed. Indeed, the speed of the visual scene had to exceed the actual running speed in order to be perceived as equivalent to the treadmill speed. The underestimation of visual speed was speed-dependent, and percentage of underestimation relative to running speed ranged from 15% at 8km/h to 31% at 12km/h. We suggest that this fact should be taken into consideration to improve the design of attractive treadmill-mediated virtual environments enhancing engagement into physical activity for healthier lifestyles and disease prevention and care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Caramenti
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Segrate, Milano, Italy
- HumanTech Institute, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Claudio L. Lafortuna
- Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Segrate, Milano, Italy
| | - Elena Mugellini
- HumanTech Institute, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Omar Abou Khaled
- HumanTech Institute, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Pierre Bresciani
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Amandine Dubois
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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47
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Yokawa K, Baluška F. Sense of space: Tactile sense for exploratory behavior of roots. Commun Integr Biol 2018; 11:1-5. [PMID: 30083280 PMCID: PMC6067838 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2018.1440881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In soil, plant roots grow in heterogeneous environments. Plant roots are always facing the difficulty of searching effectively the patchy natural resources, such as water, oxygen, ions and mineral nutrition. Numerous studies reported that root apex navigation enables roots to explore complex environments. In this short communication, we characterize how growing maize roots explore narrow space available with two experimental settings: tactile exploration of narrow glass tube and circumnutation in free space. We also discuss root growth in the soil in terms of foraging behavior guided by the sensory root apex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Yokawa
- Center for Bioscience Research and Education, Utsunomiya University, Tochigi, Japan.,IZMB, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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48
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Wallace DG. Reprint of “Sequential organization of movement kinematics is associated with spatial orientation across scales and species”. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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49
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Endlein T, Sitti M. Innate turning preference of leaf-cutting ants in the absence of external orientation cues. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.177006. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.177006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many ants use a combination of cues for orientation but how do ants find their way when all external cues are suppressed? Do they walk in a random way or are their movements spatially oriented? Here we show for the first time that leaf-cutting ants (Acromyrmex lundii) have an innate preference of turning counter-clockwise (left) when external cues are precluded. We demonstrated this by allowing individual ants to run freely on the water surface of a newly-developed treadmill. The surface tension supported medium-sized workers but effectively prevented ants from reaching the wall of the vessel, important to avoid wall-following behaviour (thigmotaxis). Most ants ran for minutes on the spot but also slowly turned counter-clockwise in the absence of visual cues. Reconstructing the effectively walked path revealed a looping pattern which could be interpreted as a search strategy. A similar turning bias was shown for groups of ants in a symmetrical Y-maze where twice as many ants chose the left branch in the absence of optical cues. Wall-following behaviour was tested by inserting a coiled tube before the Y-fork. When ants traversed a left-coiled tube, more ants chose the left box and vice versa. Adding visual cues in form of vertical black strips either outside the treadmill or on one branch of the Y-maze led to oriented walks towards the strips. It is suggested that both, the turning bias and the wall-following are employed as search strategies for an unknown environment which can be overridden by visual cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Endlein
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Metin Sitti
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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Ekstrom AD, Huffman DJ, Starrett M. Interacting networks of brain regions underlie human spatial navigation: a review and novel synthesis of the literature. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:3328-3344. [PMID: 28931613 PMCID: PMC5814720 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00531.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Navigation is an inherently dynamic and multimodal process, making isolation of the unique cognitive components underlying it challenging. The assumptions of much of the literature on human spatial navigation are that 1) spatial navigation involves modality independent, discrete metric representations (i.e., egocentric vs. allocentric), 2) such representations can be further distilled to elemental cognitive processes, and 3) these cognitive processes can be ascribed to unique brain regions. We argue that modality-independent spatial representations, instead of providing exact metrics about our surrounding environment, more often involve heuristics for estimating spatial topology useful to the current task at hand. We also argue that egocentric (body centered) and allocentric (world centered) representations are better conceptualized as involving a continuum rather than as discrete. We propose a neural model to accommodate these ideas, arguing that such representations also involve a continuum of network interactions centered on retrosplenial and posterior parietal cortex, respectively. Our model thus helps explain both behavioral and neural findings otherwise difficult to account for with classic models of spatial navigation and memory, providing a testable framework for novel experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne D Ekstrom
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California , Davis, California
- Department of Psychology, University of California , Davis, California
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of California , Davis, California
| | - Derek J Huffman
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California , Davis, California
| | - Michael Starrett
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California , Davis, California
- Department of Psychology, University of California , Davis, California
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