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Milne AO, Orton L, Black CH, Jones GC, Sullivan M, Grant RA. California sea lions employ task-specific strategies for active touch sensing. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:273347. [PMID: 34608932 PMCID: PMC8627572 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Active sensing is the process of moving sensors to extract task-specific information. Whisker touch is often referred to as an active sensory system as whiskers are moved with purposeful control. Even though whisker movements are found in many species, it is unknown whether any animal can make task-specific movements with their whiskers. California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) make large, purposeful whisker movements and are capable of performing many whisker-related discrimination tasks. Therefore, California sea lions are an ideal species to explore the active nature of whisker touch sensing. Here, we show that California sea lions can make task-specific whisker movements. California sea lions move their whiskers with large amplitudes around object edges to judge size, make smaller, lateral stroking movements to judge texture and make very small whisker movements during a visual task. These findings, combined with the ease of training mammals and measuring whisker movements, makes whiskers an ideal system for studying mammalian perception, cognition and motor control. Highlighted Article: California sea lions engage in task-specific active touch sensing with their whiskers to discriminate size and differentiate textures, indicating that their whiskers are truly an active sensory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyx O Milne
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK.,Events Team, Blackpool Zoo, East Park Drive, Blackpool, FY3 8PP, UK
| | - Llwyd Orton
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
| | | | - Gary C Jones
- Events Team, Blackpool Zoo, East Park Drive, Blackpool, FY3 8PP, UK
| | - Matthew Sullivan
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
| | - Robyn A Grant
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
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2
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Fayat R, Delgado Betancourt V, Goyallon T, Petremann M, Liaudet P, Descossy V, Reveret L, Dugué GP. Inertial Measurement of Head Tilt in Rodents: Principles and Applications to Vestibular Research. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:6318. [PMID: 34577524 PMCID: PMC8472891 DOI: 10.3390/s21186318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Inertial sensors are increasingly used in rodent research, in particular for estimating head orientation relative to gravity, or head tilt. Despite this growing interest, the accuracy of tilt estimates computed from rodent head inertial data has never been assessed. Using readily available inertial measurement units mounted onto the head of freely moving rats, we benchmarked a set of tilt estimation methods against concurrent 3D optical motion capture. We show that, while low-pass filtered head acceleration signals only provided reliable tilt estimates in static conditions, sensor calibration combined with an appropriate choice of orientation filter and parameters could yield average tilt estimation errors below 1.5∘ during movement. We then illustrate an application of inertial head tilt measurements in a preclinical rat model of unilateral vestibular lesion and propose a set of metrics describing the severity of associated postural and motor symptoms and the time course of recovery. We conclude that headborne inertial sensors are an attractive tool for quantitative rodent behavioral analysis in general and for the study of vestibulo-postural functions in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Fayat
- Neurophysiologie des Circuits Cérébraux, Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR CNRS 8197, INSERM U1024, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France;
- Laboratoire MAP5, UMR CNRS 8145, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France
| | | | - Thibault Goyallon
- Laboratoire Jean Kuntzmann, Université Grenoble Alpes, UMR CNRS 5224, INRIA, 38330 Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, France; (T.G.); (L.R.)
| | - Mathieu Petremann
- Preclinical Development, Sensorion SA, 34080 Montpellier, France; (V.D.B.); (M.P.); (P.L.); (V.D.)
| | - Pauline Liaudet
- Preclinical Development, Sensorion SA, 34080 Montpellier, France; (V.D.B.); (M.P.); (P.L.); (V.D.)
| | - Vincent Descossy
- Preclinical Development, Sensorion SA, 34080 Montpellier, France; (V.D.B.); (M.P.); (P.L.); (V.D.)
| | - Lionel Reveret
- Laboratoire Jean Kuntzmann, Université Grenoble Alpes, UMR CNRS 5224, INRIA, 38330 Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, France; (T.G.); (L.R.)
| | - Guillaume P. Dugué
- Neurophysiologie des Circuits Cérébraux, Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR CNRS 8197, INSERM U1024, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France;
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3
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Harrell ER, Renard A, Bathellier B. Fast cortical dynamics encode tactile grating orientation during active touch. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf7096. [PMID: 34516895 PMCID: PMC8442870 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf7096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Touch-based object recognition relies on perception of compositional tactile features like roughness, shape, and surface orientation. However, besides roughness, it remains unclear how these different tactile features are encoded by neural activity that is linked with perception. Here, we establish a cortex-dependent perceptual task in which mice discriminate tactile gratings on the basis of orientation using only their whiskers. Multielectrode recordings in the barrel cortex reveal weak orientation tuning in average firing rates (500-ms time scale) during grating exploration despite high levels of cortical activity. Just before decision, orientation information extracted from fast cortical dynamics (100-ms time scale) more closely resembles concurrent psychophysical measurements than single neuron orientation tuning curves. This temporal code conveys both stimulus and choice/action-related information, suggesting that fast cortical dynamics during exploration of a tactile object both reflect the physical stimulus and affect the decision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan R. Harrell
- Department for Integrative and Computational Neuroscience (ICN), Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI), UMR9197 CNRS/University Paris Sud CNRS, Building 32/33, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l’Audition, 63 rue de Charenton, F-75012 Paris, France
- Corresponding author. (E.R.H.); (B.B.)
| | - Anthony Renard
- Department for Integrative and Computational Neuroscience (ICN), Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI), UMR9197 CNRS/University Paris Sud CNRS, Building 32/33, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l’Audition, 63 rue de Charenton, F-75012 Paris, France
| | - Brice Bathellier
- Department for Integrative and Computational Neuroscience (ICN), Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI), UMR9197 CNRS/University Paris Sud CNRS, Building 32/33, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l’Audition, 63 rue de Charenton, F-75012 Paris, France
- Corresponding author. (E.R.H.); (B.B.)
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Staiger JF, Petersen CCH. Neuronal Circuits in Barrel Cortex for Whisker Sensory Perception. Physiol Rev 2020; 101:353-415. [PMID: 32816652 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00019.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The array of whiskers on the snout provides rodents with tactile sensory information relating to the size, shape and texture of objects in their immediate environment. Rodents can use their whiskers to detect stimuli, distinguish textures, locate objects and navigate. Important aspects of whisker sensation are thought to result from neuronal computations in the whisker somatosensory cortex (wS1). Each whisker is individually represented in the somatotopic map of wS1 by an anatomical unit named a 'barrel' (hence also called barrel cortex). This allows precise investigation of sensory processing in the context of a well-defined map. Here, we first review the signaling pathways from the whiskers to wS1, and then discuss current understanding of the various types of excitatory and inhibitory neurons present within wS1. Different classes of cells can be defined according to anatomical, electrophysiological and molecular features. The synaptic connectivity of neurons within local wS1 microcircuits, as well as their long-range interactions and the impact of neuromodulators, are beginning to be understood. Recent technological progress has allowed cell-type-specific connectivity to be related to cell-type-specific activity during whisker-related behaviors. An important goal for future research is to obtain a causal and mechanistic understanding of how selected aspects of tactile sensory information are processed by specific types of neurons in the synaptically connected neuronal networks of wS1 and signaled to downstream brain areas, thus contributing to sensory-guided decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen F Staiger
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuroanatomy, Göttingen, Germany; and Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Faculty of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuroanatomy, Göttingen, Germany; and Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Faculty of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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5
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Whisking Asymmetry Signals Motor Preparation and the Behavioral State of Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 39:9818-9830. [PMID: 31666357 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1809-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A central function of the brain is to plan, predict, and imagine the effect of movement in a dynamically changing environment. Here we show that in mice head-fixed in a plus-maze, floating on air, and trained to pick lanes based on visual stimuli, the asymmetric movement, and position of whiskers on the two sides of the face signals whether the animal is moving, turning, expecting reward, or licking. We show that (1) whisking asymmetry is coordinated with behavioral state, and that behavioral state can be decoded and predicted based on asymmetry, (2) even in the absence of tactile input, whisker positioning and asymmetry nevertheless relate to behavioral state, and (3) movement of the nose correlates with asymmetry, indicating that facial expression of the mouse is itself correlated with behavioral state. These results indicate that the movement of whiskers, a behavior that is not instructed or necessary in the task, can inform an observer about what a mouse is doing in the maze. Thus, the position of these mobile tactile sensors reflects a behavioral and movement-preparation state of the mouse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Behavior is a sequence of movements, where each movement can be related to or can trigger a set of other actions. Here we show that, in mice, the movement of whiskers (tactile sensors used to extract information about texture and location of objects) is coordinated with and predicts the behavioral state of mice: that is, what mice are doing, where they are in space, and where they are in the sequence of behaviors.
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The Sensorimotor Basis of Whisker-Guided Anteroposterior Object Localization in Head-Fixed Mice. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3029-3040.e4. [PMID: 31474537 PMCID: PMC6771421 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Active tactile perception combines directed motion with sensory signals to generate mental representations of objects in space. Competing models exist for how mice use these signals to determine the precise location of objects along their face. We tested six of these models using behavioral manipulations and statistical learning in head-fixed mice. Trained mice used a whisker to locate a pole in a continuous range of locations along the anteroposterior axis. Mice discriminated locations to ≤0.5 mm (<2°) resolution. Their motor program was noisy, adaptive to touch, and directed to the rewarded range. This exploration produced several sets of sensorimotor features that could discriminate location. Integration of two features, touch count and whisking midpoint at touch, was the simplest model that explained behavior best. These results show how mice locate objects at hyperacute resolution using a learned motor strategy and minimal set of mentally accessible sensorimotor features.
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7
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Learning active sensing strategies using a sensory brain-machine interface. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:17509-17514. [PMID: 31409713 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1909953116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse organisms, from insects to humans, actively seek out sensory information that best informs goal-directed actions. Efficient active sensing requires congruity between sensor properties and motor strategies, as typically honed through evolution. However, it has been difficult to study whether active sensing strategies are also modified with experience. Here, we used a sensory brain-machine interface paradigm, permitting both free behavior and experimental manipulation of sensory feedback, to study learning of active sensing strategies. Rats performed a searching task in a water maze in which the only task-relevant sensory feedback was provided by intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) encoding egocentric bearing to the hidden goal location. The rats learned to use the artificial goal direction sense to find the platform with the same proficiency as natural vision. Manipulation of the acuity of the ICMS feedback revealed distinct search strategy adaptations. Using an optimization model, the different strategies were found to minimize the effort required to extract the most salient task-relevant information. The results demonstrate that animals can adjust motor strategies to match novel sensor properties for efficient goal-directed behavior.
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8
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Azarfar A, Zhang Y, Alishbayli A, Miceli S, Kepser L, van der Wielen D, van de Moosdijk M, Homberg J, Schubert D, Proville R, Celikel T. An open-source high-speed infrared videography database to study the principles of active sensing in freely navigating rodents. Gigascience 2018; 7:5168870. [PMID: 30418576 PMCID: PMC6283211 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giy134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Active sensing is crucial for navigation. It is characterized by self-generated motor action controlling the accessibility and processing of sensory information. In rodents, active sensing is commonly studied in the whisker system. As rats and mice modulate their whisking contextually, they employ frequency and amplitude modulation. Understanding the development, mechanisms, and plasticity of adaptive motor control will require precise behavioral measurements of whisker position. Findings Advances in high-speed videography and analytical methods now permit collection and systematic analysis of large datasets. Here, we provide 6,642 videos as freely moving juvenile (third to fourth postnatal week) and adult rodents explore a stationary object on the gap-crossing task. The dataset includes sensory exploration with single- or multi-whiskers in wild-type animals, serotonin transporter knockout rats, rats received pharmacological intervention targeting serotonergic signaling. The dataset includes varying background illumination conditions and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), ranging from homogenous/high contrast to non-homogenous/low contrast. A subset of videos has been whisker and nose tracked and are provided as reference for image processing algorithms. Conclusions The recorded behavioral data can be directly used to study development of sensorimotor computation, top-down mechanisms that control sensory navigation and whisker position, and cross-species comparison of active sensing. It could also help to address contextual modulation of active sensing during touch-induced whisking in head-fixed vs freely behaving animals. Finally, it provides the necessary data for machine learning approaches for automated analysis of sensory and motion parameters across a wide variety of signal-to-noise ratios with accompanying human observer-determined ground-truth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Azarfar
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
| | - Yiping Zhang
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
| | - Artoghrul Alishbayli
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
| | - Stéphanie Miceli
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical School, Kapittelweg 29, Nijmegen, 6525 EN The Netherlands
| | - Lara Kepser
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical School, Kapittelweg 29, Nijmegen, 6525 EN The Netherlands
| | - Daan van der Wielen
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
| | - Mike van de Moosdijk
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
| | - Judith Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical School, Kapittelweg 29, Nijmegen, 6525 EN The Netherlands
| | - Dirk Schubert
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical School, Kapittelweg 29, Nijmegen, 6525 EN The Netherlands
| | - Rémi Proville
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
| | - Tansu Celikel
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 HJ The Netherlands
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9
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Hu X, Urhie O, Chang K, Hostetler R, Agmon A. A Novel Method for Training Mice in Visuo-Tactile 3-D Object Discrimination and Recognition. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:274. [PMID: 30555307 PMCID: PMC6282041 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceiving, recognizing and remembering 3-dimensional (3-D) objects encountered in the environment has a very high survival value; unsurprisingly, this ability is shared among many animal species, including humans. The psychological, psychophysical and neural basis for object perception, discrimination, recognition and memory has been extensively studied in humans, monkeys, pigeons and rodents, but is still far from understood. Nearly all 3-D object recognition studies in the rodent used the "novel object recognition" paradigm, which relies on innate rather than learned behavior; however, this procedure has several important limitations. Recently, investigators have begun to recognize the power of behavioral tasks learned through reinforcement training (operant conditioning) to reveal the sensorimotor and cognitive abilities of mice and to elucidate their underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we describe a novel method for training and testing mice in visual and tactile object discrimination, recognition and memory, and use it to begin to examine the underlying sensory basis for these cognitive capacities. A custom-designed Y maze was used to train mice to associate one of two 3-D objects with a food reward. Out of nine mice trained in two cohorts, seven reached performance criterion in about 20-35 daily sessions of 20 trials each. The learned association was retained, or rapidly re-acquired, after a 6 weeks hiatus in training. When tested under low light conditions, individual animals differed in the degree to which they used tactile or visual cues to identify the objects. Switching to total darkness resulted only in a transient dip in performance, as did subsequent trimming of all large whiskers (macrovibrissae). Additional removal of the small whiskers (microvibrissae) did not degrade performance, but transiently increased the time spent inspecting the object. This novel method can be combined in future studies with the large arsenal of genetic tools available in the mouse, to elucidate the neural basis of object perception, recognition and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Hu
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Ogaga Urhie
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Kevin Chang
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Rachel Hostetler
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Ariel Agmon
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States
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Delis I, Dmochowski JP, Sajda P, Wang Q. Correlation of neural activity with behavioral kinematics reveals distinct sensory encoding and evidence accumulation processes during active tactile sensing. Neuroimage 2018; 175:12-21. [PMID: 29580968 PMCID: PMC5960621 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many real-world decisions rely on active sensing, a dynamic process for directing our sensors (e.g. eyes or fingers) across a stimulus to maximize information gain. Though ecologically pervasive, limited work has focused on identifying neural correlates of the active sensing process. In tactile perception, we often make decisions about an object/surface by actively exploring its shape/texture. Here we investigate the neural correlates of active tactile decision-making by simultaneously measuring electroencephalography (EEG) and finger kinematics while subjects interrogated a haptic surface to make perceptual judgments. Since sensorimotor behavior underlies decision formation in active sensing tasks, we hypothesized that the neural correlates of decision-related processes would be detectable by relating active sensing to neural activity. Novel brain-behavior correlation analysis revealed that three distinct EEG components, localizing to right-lateralized occipital cortex (LOC), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and supplementary motor area (SMA), respectively, were coupled with active sensing as their activity significantly correlated with finger kinematics. To probe the functional role of these components, we fit their single-trial-couplings to decision-making performance using a hierarchical-drift-diffusion-model (HDDM), revealing that the LOC modulated the encoding of the tactile stimulus whereas the MFG predicted the rate of information integration towards a choice. Interestingly, the MFG disappeared from components uncovered from control subjects performing active sensing but not required to make perceptual decisions. By uncovering the neural correlates of distinct stimulus encoding and evidence accumulation processes, this study delineated, for the first time, the functional role of cortical areas in active tactile decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Delis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jacek P Dmochowski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Paul Sajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA; Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
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11
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Bilateral Discrimination of Tactile Patterns without Whisking in Freely Running Rats. J Neurosci 2017; 37:7567-7579. [PMID: 28663200 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0528-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A majority of whisker discrimination tasks in rodents are performed on head-fixed animals to facilitate tracking or control of the sensory inputs. However, head fixation critically restrains the behavior and thus the incoming stimuli compared with those occurring in natural conditions. In this study, we investigated whether freely behaving rats can discriminate fine tactile patterns while running, in particular when stimuli are presented simultaneously on both sides of the snout. We developed a two-alternative forced-choice task in an automated modified T-maze. Stimuli were either a surface with no bars (smooth) or with vertical bars spaced irregularly or regularly. While running at full speed, rats encountered simultaneously the two discriminanda placed on the two sides of the central aisle. Rats learned to recognize regular bars versus a smooth surface in 8 weeks. They solved the task while running at an average speed of 1 m/s, so that the contact with the stimulus lasted <1 typical whisking cycle, precluding the use of active whisking. Whisker-tracking analysis revealed an asymmetry in the position of the whiskers: they oriented toward the rewarded stimulus during successful trials as early as 60 ms after the first possible contact. We showed that the whiskers and activity in the primary somatosensory cortex are involved during the discrimination process. Finally, we identified irregular patterns of bars that the rats can discriminate from the regular one. This novel task shows that freely moving rodents can make simultaneous bilateral tactile discrimination without whisking.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The whisker system of rodents is a widely used model to study tactile processing. Rats show remarkable abilities in discriminating surfaces by actively moving their whiskers (whisking) against stimuli, typically sampling them several times. This motor strategy affects considerably the way that tactile information is acquired and thus the way that neuronal networks process the information. However, when rats run at high speed, they protract their whiskers in front of the snout without large movements. Here, we investigated whether rats are able to discriminate regular and irregular patterns of vertical bars while running without whisking. We found that the animals can perform a bilateral simultaneous discrimination without whisking and that this involves both whiskers and barrel cortex activity.
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12
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Whisker touch guides canopy exploration in a nocturnal, arboreal rodent, the Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:133-142. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1146-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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13
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Freedman DS, Schroeder JB, Telian GI, Zhang Z, Sunil S, Ritt JT. OptoZIF Drive: a 3D printed implant and assembly tool package for neural recording and optical stimulation in freely moving mice. J Neural Eng 2016; 13:066013. [PMID: 27762238 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/13/6/066013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Behavioral neuroscience studies in freely moving rodents require small, light-weight implants to facilitate neural recording and stimulation. Our goal was to develop an integrated package of 3D printed parts and assembly aids for labs to rapidly fabricate, with minimal training, an implant that combines individually positionable microelectrodes, an optical fiber, zero insertion force (ZIF-clip) headstage connection, and secondary recording electrodes, e.g. for electromyography (EMG). APPROACH Starting from previous implant designs that position recording electrodes using a control screw, we developed an implant where the main drive body, protective shell, and non-metal components of the microdrives are 3D printed in parallel. We compared alternative shapes and orientations of circuit boards for electrode connection to the headstage, in terms of their size, weight, and ease of wire insertion. We iteratively refined assembly methods, and integrated additional assembly aids into the 3D printed casing. MAIN RESULTS We demonstrate the effectiveness of the OptoZIF Drive by performing real time optogenetic feedback in behaving mice. A novel feature of the OptoZIF Drive is its vertical circuit board, which facilities direct ZIF-clip connection. This feature requires angled insertion of an optical fiber that still can exit the drive from the center of a ring of recording electrodes. We designed an innovative 2-part protective shell that can be installed during the implant surgery to facilitate making additional connections to the circuit board. We use this feature to show that facial EMG in mice can be used as a control signal to lock stimulation to the animal's motion, with stable EMG signal over several months. To decrease assembly time, reduce assembly errors, and improve repeatability, we fabricate assembly aids including a drive holder, a drill guide, an implant fixture for microelectode 'pinning', and a gold plating fixture. SIGNIFICANCE The expanding capability of optogenetic tools motivates continuing development of small optoelectric devices for stimulation and recording in freely moving mice. The OptoZIF Drive is the first to natively support ZIF-clip connection to recording hardware, which further supports a decrease in implant cross-section. The integrated 3D printed package of drive components and assembly tools facilities implant construction. The easy interfacing and installation of auxiliary electrodes makes the OptoZIF Drive especially attractive for real time feedback stimulation experiments.
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Whisking mechanics and active sensing. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2016; 40:178-188. [PMID: 27632212 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We describe recent advances in quantifying the three-dimensional (3D) geometry and mechanics of whisking. Careful delineation of relevant 3D reference frames reveals important geometric and mechanical distinctions between the localization problem ('where' is an object) and the feature extraction problem ('what' is an object). Head-centered and resting-whisker reference frames lend themselves to quantifying temporal and kinematic cues used for object localization. The whisking-centered reference frame lends itself to quantifying the contact mechanics likely associated with feature extraction. We offer the 'windowed sampling' hypothesis for active sensing: that rats can estimate an object's spatial features by integrating mechanical information across whiskers during brief (25-60ms) windows of 'haptic enclosure' with the whiskers, a motion that resembles a hand grasp.
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Bush NE, Schroeder CL, Hobbs JA, Yang AE, Huet LA, Solla SA, Hartmann MJ. Decoupling kinematics and mechanics reveals coding properties of trigeminal ganglion neurons in the rat vibrissal system. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27348221 PMCID: PMC4999311 DOI: 10.7554/elife.13969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tactile information available to the rat vibrissal system begins as external forces that cause whisker deformations, which in turn excite mechanoreceptors in the follicle. Despite the fundamental mechanical origin of tactile information, primary sensory neurons in the trigeminal ganglion (Vg) have often been described as encoding the kinematics (geometry) of object contact. Here we aimed to determine the extent to which Vg neurons encode the kinematics vs. mechanics of contact. We used models of whisker bending to quantify mechanical signals (forces and moments) at the whisker base while simultaneously monitoring whisker kinematics and recording single Vg units in both anesthetized rats and awake, body restrained rats. We employed a novel manual stimulation technique to deflect whiskers in a way that decouples kinematics from mechanics, and used Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to show that Vg neurons more directly encode mechanical signals when the whisker is deflected in this decoupled stimulus space. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13969.001 Animals must gather sensory information from the world around them and act on that information. Specialized sensory cells convert physical information from the environment into electrical signals that the brain can interpret. In the case of hearing, this physical information consists of changes in air pressure, and for vision, it is patterns of light bouncing off of objects. Rodents rely heavily on touch information from their whiskers to explore their world. When a whisker touches an object, it deforms and bends. The first neurons to respond to whisker touch – so called primary sensory neurons – represent contact between the whisker and the object in the form of electrical signals, but exactly how they do this is unclear. One possibility is that primary sensory neurons encode the movement of the whisker itself. Whenever a whisker touches an object, the whisker is deflected in a particular direction by a particular amount and at a particular speed. These movement-related features are referred to as the “kinematic” properties of whisker-object contact. Alternatively, these whisker sensory neurons might be more concerned with the forces at the base of the whisker caused by object contact. These forces are the “mechanical” properties of whisker-object contact. Bush, Schroeder et al. set out to determine whether the electrical response of these whisker sensory neurons mainly encode kinematic or mechanical information. However, these two types of information are often closely related to each other: put simply, small whisker movements tend to accompany small forces and vice versa. Bush, Schroeder et al. therefore devised a method to deliver touch stimuli to the whiskers in a way that separates kinematic from mechanical information. Mathematical models were then developed to compare how well the neurons represent each type of information. The models showed that whisker sensory neurons generally encode mechanical signals more directly than kinematic ones. This information adds to our understanding of how animals learn about the world through their senses. However, the analysis of Bush, Schroeder et al. relies on the long-standing simplification that whisker motion is two-dimensional, whereas in reality whiskers move in three dimensions. Therefore, a future challenge is to examine how sensory neurons represent information about touch, such as the location or shape of an object, during three-dimensional whisker-object contact. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13969.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas E Bush
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | | | - Jennifer A Hobbs
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | - Anne Et Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | - Lucie A Huet
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | - Sara A Solla
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States.,Department of Physiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States
| | - Mitra Jz Hartmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
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