1
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Kiuchi K, Shidara H, Iwatani Y, Ogawa H. Motor state changes escape behavior of crickets. iScience 2023; 26:107345. [PMID: 37554465 PMCID: PMC10405261 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107345] [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: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals change their behavior depending on external circumstances, internal factors, and their interactions. Locomotion state is a crucial internal factor that profoundly affects sensory perception and behavior. However, studying the behavioral impacts of locomotion state in free-moving animals has been challenging due to difficulty in reproducing quantitatively identical stimuli in freely moving animals. We utilized a closed-loop controlled servosphere treadmill system, enabling unrestricted confinement and orientation of small animals, and investigated wind-induced escape behavior in freely moving crickets. When stimulated during locomotion, the crickets quickly stopped before initiating escape behavior. Moving crickets exhibited a higher probability of escape response compared to stationary crickets. The threshold for pausing response in moving crickets was also much lower than the escape response threshold. Moving crickets had delayed reaction times for escape and greater variance in movement direction compared to stationary crickets. The locomotion-related response delay may be compensated by an elevated sensitivity to airflow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhide Kiuchi
- Biosystems Science Course, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hisashi Shidara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Yasushi Iwatani
- Department of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
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2
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Steele TJ, Lanz AJ, Nagel KI. Olfactory navigation in arthropods. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023; 209:467-488. [PMID: 36658447 PMCID: PMC10354148 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01611-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Using odors to find food and mates is one of the most ancient and highly conserved behaviors. Arthropods from flies to moths to crabs use broadly similar strategies to navigate toward odor sources-such as integrating flow information with odor information, comparing odor concentration across sensors, and integrating odor information over time. Because arthropods share many homologous brain structures-antennal lobes for processing olfactory information, mechanosensors for processing flow, mushroom bodies (or hemi-ellipsoid bodies) for associative learning, and central complexes for navigation, it is likely that these closely related behaviors are mediated by conserved neural circuits. However, differences in the types of odors they seek, the physics of odor dispersal, and the physics of locomotion in water, air, and on substrates mean that these circuits must have adapted to generate a wide diversity of odor-seeking behaviors. In this review, we discuss common strategies and specializations observed in olfactory navigation behavior across arthropods, and review our current knowledge about the neural circuits subserving this behavior. We propose that a comparative study of arthropod nervous systems may provide insight into how a set of basic circuit structures has diversified to generate behavior adapted to different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa J Steele
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Aaron J Lanz
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Katherine I Nagel
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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3
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Yamao H, Shidara H, Ogawa H. Central projections of cercal giant interneurons in the adult field cricket,
Gryllus bimaculatus. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2372-2384. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.25336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Yamao
- Department of Biological Sciences School of Science Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
- Graduate School of Life Sciences Tohoku University Sendai Japan
| | - Hisashi Shidara
- Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
- Department of Biochemistry Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University Tsu Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
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4
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Mulder-Rosi J, Miller JP. ENCODING OF SMALL-SCALE AIR MOTION DYNAMICS IN THE CRICKET ACHETA DOMESTICUS. J Neurophysiol 2022; 127:1185-1197. [PMID: 35353628 PMCID: PMC9018005 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00042.2022] [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: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cercal sensory system of the cricket mediates the detection, localization and identification of air current signals generated by predators, mates and competitors. This mechanosensory system has been used extensively for experimental and theoretical studies of sensory coding at the cellular and system levels. It is currently thought that sensory interneurons in the terminal abdominal ganglion extract information about the direction, velocity, and acceleration of the air currents in the animal's immediate environment, and project a coarse-coded representation of those parameters to higher centers. All feature detection is thought to be carried out in higher ganglia by more complex, specialized circuits. We present results that force a substantial revision of current hypotheses. Using multiple extracellular recordings and a special sensory stimulation device, we demonstrate that four well-studied interneurons in this system respond with high sensitivity and selectivity to complex dynamic multi-directional features of air currents which have a spatial scale smaller than the physical dimensions of the cerci. The INs showed much greater sensitivity for these features than for unidirectional bulk-flow stimuli used in previous studies. Thus, in addition to participating in the ensemble encoding of bulk air flow stimulus characteristics, these interneurons are capable of operating as feature detectors for naturalistic stimuli. In this sense, these interneurons are encoding and transmitting information about different aspects of their stimulus environment: they are multiplexing information. Major aspects of the stimulus-response specificity of these interneurons can be understood from the dendritic anatomy and connectivity with the sensory afferent map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Mulder-Rosi
- Deptartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman Montana, United States
| | - John P Miller
- Deptartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman Montana, United States
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5
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Sato N, Shidara H, Ogawa H. Action selection based on multiple-stimulus aspects in wind-elicited escape behavior of crickets. Heliyon 2022; 8:e08800. [PMID: 35111985 PMCID: PMC8790502 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Escape behavior is essential for animals to avoid attacks by predators. In some species, multiple escape responses could be employed. However, it remains unknown what aspects of threat stimuli affect the choice of an escape response. We focused on two distinct escape responses (running and jumping) to short airflow in crickets and examined the effects of multiple stimulus aspects including the angle, velocity, and duration on the choice between these responses. The faster and longer the airflow, the more frequently the crickets jumped. This meant that the choice of an escape response depends on both the velocity and duration of the stimulus and suggests that the neural basis for choosing an escape response includes the integration process of multiple stimulus parameters. In addition, the moving speed and distance changed depending on the stimulus velocity and duration for running but not for jumping. Running away would be more adaptive escape behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nodoka Sato
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hisashi Shidara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
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6
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Boublil BL, Diebold CA, Moss CF. Mechanosensory Hairs and Hair-like Structures in the Animal Kingdom: Specializations and Shared Functions Serve to Inspire Technology Applications. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:6375. [PMID: 34640694 PMCID: PMC8512044 DOI: 10.3390/s21196375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Biological mechanosensation has been a source of inspiration for advancements in artificial sensory systems. Animals rely on sensory feedback to guide and adapt their behaviors and are equipped with a wide variety of sensors that carry stimulus information from the environment. Hair and hair-like sensors have evolved to support survival behaviors in different ecological niches. Here, we review the diversity of biological hair and hair-like sensors across the animal kingdom and their roles in behaviors, such as locomotion, exploration, navigation, and feeding, which point to shared functional properties of hair and hair-like structures among invertebrates and vertebrates. By reviewing research on the role of biological hair and hair-like sensors in diverse species, we aim to highlight biological sensors that could inspire the engineering community and contribute to the advancement of mechanosensing in artificial systems, such as robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cynthia F. Moss
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; (B.L.B.); (C.A.D.)
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7
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Naniwa K, Aonuma H. Descending and Ascending Signals That Maintain Rhythmic Walking Pattern in Crickets. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:625094. [PMID: 33855051 PMCID: PMC8039156 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.625094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The cricket is one of the model animals used to investigate the neuronal mechanisms underlying adaptive locomotion. An intact cricket walks mostly with a tripod gait, similar to other insects. The motor control center of the leg movements is located in the thoracic ganglia. In this study, we investigated the walking gait patterns of the crickets whose ventral nerve cords were surgically cut to gain an understanding of how the descending signals from the head ganglia and ascending signals from the abdominal nervous system into the thoracic ganglia mediate the initiation and coordination of the walking gait pattern. Crickets whose paired connectives between the brain and subesophageal ganglion (SEG) (circumesophageal connectives) were cut exhibited a tripod gait pattern. However, when one side of the circumesophageal connectives was cut, the crickets continued to turn in the opposite direction to the connective cut. Crickets whose paired connectives between the SEG and prothoracic ganglion were cut did not walk, whereas the crickets exhibited an ordinal tripod gait pattern when one side of the connectives was intact. Crickets whose paired connectives between the metathoracic ganglion and abdominal ganglia were cut initiated walking, although the gait was not a coordinated tripod pattern, whereas the crickets exhibited a tripod gait when one side of the connectives was intact. These results suggest that the brain plays an inhibitory role in initiating leg movements and that both the descending signals from the head ganglia and the ascending signals from the abdominal nervous system are important in initiating and coordinating insect walking gait patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Naniwa
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Aonuma
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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8
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Dalgaty T, Miller JP, Vianello E, Casas J. Bio-Inspired Architectures Substantially Reduce the Memory Requirements of Neural Network Models. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:612359. [PMID: 33708069 PMCID: PMC7940538 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.612359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose a neural network model for the jumping escape response behavior observed in the cricket cercal sensory system. This sensory system processes low-intensity air currents in the animal's immediate environment generated by predators, competitors, and mates. Our model is inspired by decades of physiological and anatomical studies. We compare the performance of our model with a model derived through a universal approximation, or a generic deep learning, approach, and demonstrate that, to achieve the same performance, these models required between one and two orders of magnitude more parameters. Furthermore, since the architecture of the bio-inspired model is defined by a set of logical relations between neurons, we find that the model is open to interpretation and can be understood. This work demonstrates the potential of incorporating bio-inspired architectural motifs, which have evolved in animal nervous systems, into memory efficient neural network models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John P Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States
| | | | - Jérôme Casas
- Insect Biology Research Institute IRBI, UMR CNRS 7261, Université de Tours, Tours, France
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9
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Kamat AM, Pei Y, Jayawardhana B, Kottapalli AGP. Biomimetic Soft Polymer Microstructures and Piezoresistive Graphene MEMS Sensors Using Sacrificial Metal 3D Printing. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:1094-1104. [PMID: 33395251 PMCID: PMC7812595 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c21295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in 3D printing technology have enabled unprecedented design freedom across an ever-expanding portfolio of materials. However, direct 3D printing of soft polymeric materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is challenging, especially for structural complexities such as high-aspect ratio (>20) structures, 3D microfluidic channels (∼150 μm diameter), and biomimetic microstructures. This work presents a novel processing method entailing 3D printing of a thin-walled sacrificial metallic mold, soft polymer casting, and acidic etching of the mold. The proposed workflow enables the facile fabrication of various complex, bioinspired PDMS structures (e.g., 3D double helical microfluidic channels embedded inside high-aspect ratio pillars) that are difficult or impossible to fabricate using currently available techniques. The microfluidic channels are further infused with conductive graphene nanoplatelet ink to realize two flexible piezoresistive microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensors (a bioinspired flow/tactile sensor and a dome-like force sensor) with embedded sensing elements. The MEMS force sensor is integrated into a Philips 9000 series electric shaver to demonstrate its application in "smart" consumer products in the future. Aided by current trends in industrialization and miniaturization in metal 3D printing, the proposed workflow shows promise as a low-temperature, scalable, and cleanroom-free technique of fabricating complex, soft polymeric, biomimetic structures, and embedded MEMS sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar M. Kamat
- Advanced
Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen,
Faculty of Science and Engineering, University
of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The
Netherlands
| | - Yutao Pei
- Advanced
Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen,
Faculty of Science and Engineering, University
of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The
Netherlands
| | - Bayu Jayawardhana
- Discrete
Technology and Production Automation, Engineering and Technology Institute
Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The
Netherlands
| | - Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli
- Advanced
Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen,
Faculty of Science and Engineering, University
of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The
Netherlands
- MIT
Sea Grant College Program, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, NW98-151, Cambridge 02139, Massachusetts, United States
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10
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Chu X, Heinze S, Ian E, Berg BG. A Novel Major Output Target for Pheromone-Sensitive Projection Neurons in Male Moths. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:147. [PMID: 32581719 PMCID: PMC7294775 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Even though insects have comparably small brains, they achieve astoundingly complex behaviors. One example is flying moths tracking minute amounts of pheromones using olfactory circuits. The tracking distance can be up to 1 km, which makes it essential that male moths respond efficiently and reliably to very few pheromone molecules. The male-specific macroglomerular complex (MGC) in the moth antennal lobe contains circuitry dedicated to pheromone processing. Output neurons from this region project along three parallel pathways, the medial, mediolateral, and lateral tracts. The MGC-neurons of the lateral tract are least described and their functional significance is mainly unknown. We used mass staining, calcium imaging, and intracellular recording/staining to characterize the morphological and physiological properties of these neurons in the noctuid moth, Helicoverpa armigera. All lateral-tract MGC neurons targeted the column, a small region within the superior intermediate neuropil. We identified this region as a unique converging site for MGC lateral-tract neurons responsive to pheromones, as well as a dense congregating site for plant odor information since a substantial number of lateral-tract neurons from ordinary glomeruli (OG) also terminates in this region. The lateral-tract MGC-neurons responded with a shorter peak latency than the well-described neurons in the medial tract. Different from the medial-tract MGC neurons encoding odor quality important for species-specific signal identification, those in the lateral tract convey a more robust and rapid signal-potentially important for fast control of hard-wired behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chu
- Chemosensory Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Stanley Heinze
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Elena Ian
- Chemosensory Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bente G. Berg
- Chemosensory Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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11
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Algorithms for Olfactory Search across Species. J Neurosci 2019; 38:9383-9389. [PMID: 30381430 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1668-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Localizing the sources of stimuli is essential. Most organisms cannot eat, mate, or escape without knowing where the relevant stimuli originate. For many, if not most, animals, olfaction plays an essential role in search. While microorganismal chemotaxis is relatively well understood, in larger animals the algorithms and mechanisms of olfactory search remain mysterious. In this symposium, we will present recent advances in our understanding of olfactory search in flies and rodents. Despite their different sizes and behaviors, both species must solve similar problems, including meeting the challenges of turbulent airflow, sampling the environment to optimize olfactory information, and incorporating odor information into broader navigational systems.
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12
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Suver MP, Matheson AMM, Sarkar S, Damiata M, Schoppik D, Nagel KI. Encoding of Wind Direction by Central Neurons in Drosophila. Neuron 2019; 102:828-842.e7. [PMID: 30948249 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Wind is a major navigational cue for insects, but how wind direction is decoded by central neurons in the insect brain is unknown. Here we find that walking flies combine signals from both antennae to orient to wind during olfactory search behavior. Movements of single antennae are ambiguous with respect to wind direction, but the difference between left and right antennal displacements yields a linear code for wind direction in azimuth. Second-order mechanosensory neurons share the ambiguous responses of a single antenna and receive input primarily from the ipsilateral antenna. Finally, we identify novel "wedge projection neurons" that integrate signals across the two antennae and receive input from at least three classes of second-order neurons to produce a more linear representation of wind direction. This study establishes how a feature of the sensory environment-wind direction-is decoded by neurons that compare information across two sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie P Suver
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Andrew M M Matheson
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Sinekdha Sarkar
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Matthew Damiata
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David Schoppik
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Katherine I Nagel
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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13
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Abels C, Qualtieri A, Lober T, Mariotti A, Chambers LD, De Vittorio M, Megill WM, Rizzi F. Bidirectional biomimetic flow sensing with antiparallel and curved artificial hair sensors. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 10:32-46. [PMID: 30680277 PMCID: PMC6334809 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.10.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Background: Flow stimuli in the natural world are varied and contain a wide variety of directional information. Nature has developed morphological polarity and bidirectional arrangements for flow sensing to filter the incoming stimuli. Inspired by the neuromasts found in the lateral line of fish, we present a novel flow sensor design based on two curved cantilevers with bending orientation antiparallel to each other. Antiparallel cantilever pairs were designed, fabricated and compared to a single cantilever based hair sensor in terms of sensitivity to temperature changes and their response to changes in relative air flow direction. Results: In bidirectional air flow, antiparallel cantilever pairs exhibit an axially symmetrical sensitivity between 40 μV/(m s-1) for the lower air flow velocity range (between ±10-20 m s-1) and 80 μV/(m s-1) for a higher air flow velocity range (between ±20-32 m s-1). The antiparallel cantilever design improves directional sensitivity and provides a sinusoidal response to flow angle. In forward flow, the single sensor reaches its saturation limitation, flattening at 67% of the ideal sinusoidal curve which is earlier than the antiparallel cantilevers at 75%. The antiparallel artificial hair sensor better compensates for temperature changes than the single sensor. Conclusion: This work demonstrated the successive improvement of the bidirectional sensitivity, that is, improved temperature compensation, decreased noise generation and symmetrical response behaviour. In the antiparallel configuration, one of the two cantilevers always extends out into the free stream flow, remaining sensitive to directional flow and preserving a sensitivity to further flow stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Abels
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve, D-47533, Germany
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Innovazione, Lecce (LE), I-73100, Italy
| | - Antonio Qualtieri
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
| | - Toni Lober
- Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bocholt, D-46397, Germany
| | - Alessandro Mariotti
- Università di Pisa, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale, Pisa, I-56122, Italy
| | - Lily D Chambers
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve, D-47533, Germany
| | - Massimo De Vittorio
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Innovazione, Lecce (LE), I-73100, Italy
| | - William M Megill
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve, D-47533, Germany
| | - Francesco Rizzi
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
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14
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Dürr V, Schilling M. Transfer of Spatial Contact Information Among Limbs and the Notion of Peripersonal Space in Insects. Front Comput Neurosci 2018; 12:101. [PMID: 30618693 PMCID: PMC6305554 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2018.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Internal representation of far-range space in insects is well established, as it is necessary for navigation behavior. Although it is likely that insects also have an internal representation of near-range space, the behavioral evidence for the latter is much less evident. Here, we estimate the size and shape of the spatial equivalent of a near-range representation that is constituted by somatosensory sampling events. To do so, we use a large set of experimental whole-body motion capture data on unrestrained walking, climbing and searching behavior in stick insects of the species Carausius morosus to delineate ‘action volumes’ and ‘contact volumes’ for both antennae and all six legs. As these volumes are derived from recorded sampling events, they comprise a volume equivalent to a representation of coinciding somatosensory and motor activity. Accordingly, we define this volume as the peripersonal space of an insect. It is of immediate behavioral relevance, because it comprises all potential external object locations within the action range of the body. In a next step, we introduce the notion of an affordance space as that part of peripersonal space within which contact-induced spatial estimates lie within the action ranges of more than one limb. Because the action volumes of limbs overlap in this affordance space, spatial information from one limb can be used to control the movement of another limb. Thus, it gives rise to an affordance as known for contact-induced reaching movements and spatial coordination of footfall patterns in stick insects. Finally, we probe the computational properties of the experimentally derived affordance space for pairs of neighboring legs. This is done by use of artificial neural networks that map the posture of one leg into a target posture of another leg with identical foot position.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Dürr
- Biological Cybernetics, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interactive Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Malte Schilling
- Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interactive Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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15
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Dalgaty T, Vianello E, De Salvo B, Casas J. Insect-inspired neuromorphic computing. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 30:59-66. [PMID: 30553486 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The steady improvement in the performance of computing systems seen for many decades is levelling off as the miniaturization of semiconducting technology approaches the atomic limit, facing severe physical and technological issues. Neuromorphic computing is an emerging solution which makes use of silicon technology in a different way, inline with the computational principles observed in animal nervous systems. In this article, we argue that the nervous systems of insects in particular offer themselves as an ideal starting point for incorporation into realistic neuromorphic systems and review research in developing insect-inspired neuromorphic systems. We conclude with an exciting yet tangible vision of a full neuromorphic sensory-motor system where a liquid state machine modelling the function of the insect mushroom body links input to output and allows for amalgamation of the work discussed in a hierarchical framework of a full system inspired by the concept of how information flows through insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jerome Casas
- Insect Biology Research Institute, UMR CNRS 7261, University of Tours, Tours 37200, France.
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French AS, Pfeiffer K. Nonlinearization: naturalistic stimulation and nonlinear dynamic behavior in a spider mechanoreceptor. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2018; 112:403-413. [PMID: 29915978 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-018-0763-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In a previous study, we used linear frequency response analysis to show that naturalistic stimulation of spider primary mechanosensory neurons produced different response dynamics than the commonly used Gaussian random noise. We isolated this difference to the production of action potentials from receptor potential and suggested that the different distribution of frequency components in the naturalistic signal increased the nonlinearity of action potential encoding. Here, we tested the relative contributions of first- and second-order processes to the action potential signal by measuring linear and quadratic coherence functions. Naturalistic stimulation shifted the linear coherence toward lower frequencies, while quadratic coherence was always higher than linear coherence and increased with naturalistic stimulation. In an initial attempt to separate the order of time-dependent and nonlinear processes, we fitted quadratic frequency response functions by two block-structured models consisting of a power-law filter and a static second-order nonlinearity in alternate cascade orders. The same cascade models were then fitted to the original time domain data by conventional numerical analysis algorithms, using a polynomial function as the static nonlinearity. Quadratic models with a linear filter followed by a static nonlinearity were favored over the reverse order, but with weak significance. Polynomial nonlinear functions indicated that rectification is a major nonlinearity. A complete quantitative description of sensory encoding in these primary mechanoreceptors remains elusive but clearly requires quadratic and higher nonlinear operations on the input signal to explain the sensitivity of dynamic behavior to different input signal patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S French
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | - Keram Pfeiffer
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
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Goldammer J, Dürr V. Proprioceptive input to a descending pathway conveying antennal postural information: Terminal organisation of antennal hair field afferents. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2018; 47:465-481. [PMID: 30076912 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Like several other arthropod species, stick insects use their antennae for tactile exploration of the near-range environment and for spatial localisation of touched objects. More specifically, Carausius morosus continuously moves its antennae during locomotion and reliably responds to antennal contact events with directed movements of a front leg. Here we investigate the afferent projection patterns of antennal hair fields (aHF), proprioceptors known to encode antennal posture and movement, and to be involved in antennal movement control. We show that afferents of all seven aHF of C. morosus have terminal arborisations in the dorsal lobe (DL) of the cerebral (=supraoesophageal) ganglion, and descending collaterals that terminate in a characteristic part of the gnathal (=suboesophageal) ganglion. Despite differences of functional roles among aHF, terminal arborisation patterns show no topological arrangement according to segment specificity or direction of movement. In the DL, antennal motoneuron neurites show arborizations in proximity to aHF afferent terminals. Despite the morphological similarity of single mechanoreceptors of aHF and adjacent tactile hairs on the pedicel and flagellum, we find a clear separation of proprioceptive and exteroceptive mechanosensory neuropils in the cerebral ganglion. Moreover, we also find this functional separation in the gnathal ganglion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Goldammer
- Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, Biocenter Cologne, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Volker Dürr
- Dept. Biological Cybernetics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
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Hu J, Peng H, Yao X. Design of PVDF sensor array for determining airflow direction and velocity. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2018; 89:085007. [PMID: 30184684 DOI: 10.1063/1.5040171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
An airflow sensor comprised of an array of piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) cantilever sensors mounted on a sensor ring is fabricated. A fluid-solid-electric coupling model based on the finite element method is presented to obtain the mathematical relationship between the normal airflow velocity and the response voltage. According to the response voltages from all pieces of PVDF cantilevers in the array, the values of the airflow direction and the velocity can be calculated. Furthermore, to find a suitable algorithm for error calculations and to achieve high accuracy, a method of reducing the flow angle error ( Eαn,cal¯ ) and flow velocity error ( Δvn,cal¯ ) by extracting Um of the effective cantilevers can be established. The experimental results show that the maximum value of Eαn,cal¯ is 1.2° (at 270° with 11.1 m/s) and the minimum value of Eαn,cal¯ is 0.3° (at 135° with 11.1 m/s) based on the PVDF sensor array with eight cantilevers. Meanwhile, the maximum value of Evn,cal¯ is 3% (at 315° with 11.1 m/s), and the minimum value of Evn,cal¯ is 1.5% (at 360° with 11.1 m/s). In addition, under 20 random airflow angles at 8 m/s, the error range in airflow velocity is from 1.27% to 2.67%, the error range in airflow angle is from 0.34° to 1.24°, and the response time is 20 ms. Therefore, the proposed design for an airflow sensory ring array can be used to determine the airflow direction and velocity, and the airflow sensor can be miniaturized as a bionic antennae, which is mounted on the skin of a piezoelectric autonomous mobile robot for sensing and escaping from an attack of the natural enemy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Hu
- State Key Lab of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Hanmin Peng
- State Key Lab of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Xinke Yao
- State Key Lab of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
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Schroeder TBH, Houghtaling J, Wilts BD, Mayer M. It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:e1705322. [PMID: 29517829 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201705322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Over the course of their wildly successful proliferation across the earth, the insects as a taxon have evolved enviable adaptations to their diverse habitats, which include adhesives, locomotor systems, hydrophobic surfaces, and sensors and actuators that transduce mechanical, acoustic, optical, thermal, and chemical signals. Insect-inspired designs currently appear in a range of contexts, including antireflective coatings, optical displays, and computing algorithms. However, as over one million distinct and highly specialized species of insects have colonized nearly all habitable regions on the planet, they still provide a largely untapped pool of unique problem-solving strategies. With the intent of providing materials scientists and engineers with a muse for the next generation of bioinspired materials, here, a selection of some of the most spectacular adaptations that insects have evolved is assembled and organized by function. The insects presented display dazzling optical properties as a result of natural photonic crystals, precise hierarchical patterns that span length scales from nanometers to millimeters, and formidable defense mechanisms that deploy an arsenal of chemical weaponry. Successful mimicry of these adaptations may facilitate technological solutions to as wide a range of problems as they solve in the insects that originated them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas B H Schroeder
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jared Houghtaling
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2200 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Bodo D Wilts
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Michael Mayer
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Crickets alter wind-elicited escape strategies depending on acoustic context. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15158. [PMID: 29123249 PMCID: PMC5680309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15276-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals trigger various behaviours in insects such as courtship or escape from predators. However, it remains unknown whether insects utilize acoustic signals to recognize environmental contexts. The cricket is a prominent model insect for neuroethological studies on acoustic behaviour because female crickets exhibit positive phonotaxis in response to male calling songs, and flying crickets display avoidance behaviour for high-frequency sounds such as echolocation call of bats. The carrier frequency of these sounds is a major factor in determining whether they initiate these acoustic behaviours. Here, we examined the impacts of different frequencies of tone sounds on cercal-mediated escape behaviour, using a 5-kHz tone corresponding to the calling song and a 15-kHz tone serving as a trigger of avoidance behaviours. Neither frequency elicited a response in the standing cricket by itself, but they had different impacts on walking responses to airflow stimuli. While the 15-kHz tone reduced response probability, extended moving distance, and enhanced turn-angle variability, the 5-kHz tone had no effect. Although both frequencies of tones facilitated walking backward, the 15-kHz tone had a larger effect than the 5-kHz tone. These frequency dependencies of behavioural modulation suggest that crickets can recognize acoustic contexts and alter their escape strategy accordingly.
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Sato N, Shidara H, Ogawa H. Post-molting development of wind-elicited escape behavior in the cricket. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 103:36-46. [PMID: 29030316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Arthropods including insects grow through several developmental stages by molting. The abrupt changes in their body size and morphology accompanying the molting are responsible for the developmental changes in behavior. While in holometabolous insects, larval behaviors are transformed into adult-specific behaviors with drastic changes in nervous system during the pupal stage, hemimetabolous insects preserve most innate behaviors whole life long, which allow us to trace the maturation process of preserved behaviors after the changes in body. Wind-elicited escape behavior is one of these behaviors and mediated by cercal system, which is a mechanosensory organ equipped by all stages of nymph in orthopteran insects like crickets. However, the maturation process of the escape behavior after the molt is unclear. In this study, we examined time-series of changes in the wind-elicited escape behavior just after the imaginal molt in the cricket. The locomotor activities are developed over the elapsed time, and matured 24h after the molt. In contrast, a stimulus-angle dependency of moving direction was unchanged over time, meaning that the cercal sensory system detecting airflow direction was workable immediately after the molt, independent from the behavioral maturation. The post-molting development of the wind-elicited behavior was considered to result not simply from maturation of the exoskeleton or musculature because the escape response to heat-shock stimulus did not change after the molt. No effect of a temporal immobilization after the imaginal molt on the maturation of the wind-elicited behavior also implies that the maturation may be innately programmed without experience of locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nodoka Sato
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hisashi Shidara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
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Alma AM, Farji-Brener AG, Elizalde L. A Breath of Fresh Air in Foraging Theory: The Importance of Wind for Food Size Selection in a Central-Place Forager. Am Nat 2017; 190:410-419. [PMID: 28829633 DOI: 10.1086/692707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Empirical data about food size carried by central-place foragers do not often fit with the optimum predicted by classical foraging theory. Traditionally, biotic constraints such as predation risk and competition have been proposed to explain this inconsistency, leaving aside the possible role of abiotic factors. Here we documented how wind affects the load size of a central-place forager (leaf-cutting ants) through a mathematical model including the whole foraging process. The model showed that as wind speed at ground level increased from 0 to 2 km/h, load size decreased from 91 to 30 mm2, a prediction that agreed with empirical data from windy zones, highlighting the relevance of considering abiotic factors to predict foraging behavior. Furthermore, wind reduced the range of load sizes that workers should select to maintain a similar rate of food intake and decreased the foraging rate by ∼70% when wind speed increased 1 km/h. These results suggest that wind could reduce the fitness of colonies and limit the geographic distribution of leaf-cutting ants. The developed model offers a complementary explanation for why load size in central-place foragers may not fit theoretical predictions and could serve as a basis to study the effects of other abiotic factors that influence foraging.
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Taylor BK, Johnsen S, Lohmann KJ. Detection of magnetic field properties using distributed sensing: a computational neuroscience approach. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2017; 12:036013. [PMID: 28524068 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/aa6ccd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Diverse taxa use Earth's magnetic field to aid both short- and long-distance navigation. Study of these behaviors has led to a variety of postulated sensory and processing mechanisms that remain unconfirmed. Although several models have been proposed to explain and understand these mechanisms' underpinnings, they have not necessarily connected a putative sensory signal to the nervous system. Using mathematical software simulation, hardware testing and the computational neuroscience tool of dynamic neural fields, the present work implements a previously developed conceptual model for processing magnetite-based magnetosensory data. Results show that the conceptual model, originally constructed to stimulate thought and generate insights into future physiological experiments, may provide a valid approach to encoding magnetic field information. Specifically, magnetoreceptors that are each individually capable of sensing directional information can, as a population, encode magnetic intensity and direction. The findings hold promise both as a biological magnetoreception concept and for generating engineering innovations in sensing and processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Taylor
- Integrated Sensing and Processing Sciences, Air Force Research Laboratory-Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, United States of America. Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed
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Rillich J, Stevenson PA. Losing without Fighting - Simple Aversive Stimulation Induces Submissiveness Typical for Social Defeat via the Action of Nitric Oxide, but Only When Preceded by an Aggression Priming Stimulus. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:50. [PMID: 28381994 PMCID: PMC5360729 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Losing a fight (social defeat) induces submissiveness and behavioral depression in many animals, but the mechanisms are unclear. Here we investigate how the social defeat syndrome can be established as a result of experiencing aversive stimuli and the roles of neuromodulators in the process. While biogenic amines and nitric oxide (NO) are associated with reduced aggression in mammals and insects, their specific actions during conflict are unknown. Although the social defeat syndrome normally results from complex interactions, we could induce it in male crickets simply by applying aversive stimuli (AS) in an aggressive context. Aggressive crickets became immediately submissive and behaved like losers after experiencing two brief AS (light wind puffs to the cerci), but only when preceded by a priming stimulus (PS, stroking the antenna with another male antenna). Notably, submissiveness was not induced when the PS preceded the AS by more than 1 min, or when the PS followed the AS, or using a female antenna as the preceding stimulus. These findings suggest that any potentially detrimental stimulus can acquire the attribute of an aversive agonistic signal when experienced in an aggressive context. Crickets, it seems, need only to evaluate their net sensory impact rather than the qualities of a variety of complex agonistic signals. Selective drug treatments revealed that NO, but not serotonin, dopamine or octopamine, is necessary to establish the submissive status following pairing of the priming and aversive stimuli. Moreover, treatment with an NO donor also induced the social defeat syndrome, but only when combined with the PS. This confirms our hypothesis that aversive agonistic experiences accumulated by crickets during fighting invoke social defeat via the action of NO and illustrates that a relatively simple mechanism underlies the seemingly complex social decision to flee. The simple stimulus regime described here for inducing social defeat opens new avenues for investigating the cellular control of subordinate behavior and post-conflict depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Rillich
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University Leipzig, Germany
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25
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Abstract
The ability of animals to flexibly navigate through complex environments depends on the integration of sensory information with motor commands. The sensory modality most tightly linked to motor control is mechanosensation. Adaptive motor control depends critically on an animal's ability to respond to mechanical forces generated both within and outside the body. The compact neural circuits of insects provide appealing systems to investigate how mechanical cues guide locomotion in rugged environments. Here, we review our current understanding of mechanosensation in insects and its role in adaptive motor control. We first examine the detection and encoding of mechanical forces by primary mechanoreceptor neurons. We then discuss how central circuits integrate and transform mechanosensory information to guide locomotion. Because most studies in this field have been performed in locusts, cockroaches, crickets, and stick insects, the examples we cite here are drawn mainly from these 'big insects'. However, we also pay particular attention to the tiny fruit fly, Drosophila, where new tools are creating new opportunities, particularly for understanding central circuits. Our aim is to show how studies of big insects have yielded fundamental insights relevant to mechanosensation in all animals, and also to point out how the Drosophila toolkit can contribute to future progress in understanding mechanosensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Tuthill
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, 1705 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Rachel I Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Joshi K, Mian A, Miller J. Biomechanical Analysis of a Filiform Mechanosensory Hair Socket of Crickets. J Biomech Eng 2016; 138:2530161. [PMID: 27322099 DOI: 10.1115/1.4033915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Filiform mechanosensory hairs of crickets are of great interest to engineers because of the hairs' highly sensitive response to low-velocity air-currents. In this study, we analyze the biomechanical properties of filiform hairs of the cercal sensory system of a common house cricket. The cercal sensory system consists of two antennalike appendages called cerci that are situated at the rear of the cricket's abdomen. Each cercus is covered with 500-750 flow sensitive filiform mechanosensory hairs. Each hair is embedded in a complex viscoelastic socket that acts as a spring and dashpot system and guides the movement of the hair. When a hair deflects due to the drag force induced on its length by a moving air-current, the spiking activity of the neuron that innervates the hair changes and the combined spiking activity of all hairs is extracted by the cercal sensory system. Filiform hairs have been experimentally studied by researchers, though the basis for the hairs' biomechanical characteristics is not fully understood. The socket structure has not been analyzed experimentally or theoretically from a mechanical standpoint, and the characterization that exists is mathematical in nature and only provides a very rudimentary approximation of the socket's spring nature. This study aims to understand and physically characterize the socket's behavior and interaction with the filiform hair by examining hypotheses about the hair and socket biomechanics. A three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) model was first created using confocal microscopy images of the hair and socket structure of the cricket, and then finite-element analyses (FEAs) based on the physical conditions that the insect experiences were simulated. The results show that the socket can act like a spring; however, it has two-tier rotational spring constants during pre- and postcontacts of iris and hair bulge due to its constitutive nonstandard geometric shapes.
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Direction-Specific Adaptation in Neuronal and Behavioral Responses of an Insect Mechanosensory System. J Neurosci 2015; 35:11644-55. [PMID: 26290241 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1378-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is considered to be the neural underpinning of habituation to frequent stimuli and novelty detection. However, neither the cellular mechanism underlying SSA nor the link between SSA-like neuronal plasticity and behavioral modulation is well understood. The wind-detection system in crickets is one of the best models for investigating the neural basis of SSA. We found that crickets exhibit stimulus-direction-specific adaptation in wind-elicited avoidance behavior. Repetitive air currents inducing this behavioral adaptation reduced firings to the stimulus and the amplitude of excitatory synaptic potentials in wind-sensitive giant interneurons (GIs) related to the avoidance behavior. Injection of a Ca(2+) chelator into GIs diminished both the attenuation of firings and the synaptic depression induced by the repetitive stimulation, suggesting that adaptation of GIs induced by this stimulation results in Ca(2+)-mediated modulation of postsynaptic responses, including postsynaptic short-term depression. Some types of GIs showed specific adaptation to the direction of repetitive stimuli, resulting in an alteration of their directional tuning curves. The types of GIs for which directional tuning was altered displayed heterogeneous direction selectivity in their Ca(2+) dynamics that was restricted to a specific area of dendrites. In contrast, other types of GIs with constant directionality exhibited direction-independent global Ca(2+) elevation throughout the dendritic arbor. These results suggest that depression induced by local Ca(2+) accumulation at repetitively activated synapses of key neurons underlies direction-specific behavioral adaptation. This input-selective depression mediated by heterogeneous Ca(2+) dynamics could confer the ability to detect novelty at the earliest stages of sensory processing in crickets. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is considered to be the neural underpinning of habituation and novelty detection. We found that crickets exhibit stimulus-direction-specific adaptation in wind-elicited avoidance behavior. Repetitive air currents inducing this behavioral adaptation altered the directional selectivity of wind-sensitive giant interneurons (GIs) via direction-specific adaptation mediated by dendritic Ca(2+) elevation. The GIs for which directional tuning was altered displayed heterogeneous direction selectivity in their Ca(2+) dynamics and the transient increase in Ca(2+) evoked by the repeated puffs was restricted to a specific area of dendrites. These results suggest that depression induced by local Ca(2+) accumulation at repetitively activated synapses of key neurons underlies direction-specific behavioral adaptation. Our findings elucidate the subcellular mechanism underlying SSA-like neuronal plasticity related to behavioral adaptation.
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Fukutomi M, Someya M, Ogawa H. Auditory modulation of wind-elicited walking behavior in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:3968-77. [PMID: 26519512 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.128751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals flexibly change their locomotion triggered by an identical stimulus depending on the environmental context and behavioral state. This indicates that additional sensory inputs in different modality from the stimulus triggering the escape response affect the neuronal circuit governing that behavior. However, how the spatio-temporal relationships between these two stimuli effect a behavioral change remains unknown. We studied this question, using crickets, which respond to a short air-puff by oriented walking activity mediated by the cercal sensory system. In addition, an acoustic stimulus, such as conspecific 'song' received by the tympanal organ, elicits a distinct oriented locomotion termed phonotaxis. In this study, we examined the cross-modal effects on wind-elicited walking when an acoustic stimulus was preceded by an air-puff and tested whether the auditory modulation depends on the coincidence of the direction of both stimuli. A preceding 10 kHz pure tone biased the wind-elicited walking in a backward direction and elevated a threshold of the wind-elicited response, whereas other movement parameters, including turn angle, reaction time, walking speed and distance were unaffected. The auditory modulations, however, did not depend on the coincidence of the stimulus directions. A preceding sound consistently altered the wind-elicited walking direction and response probability throughout the experimental sessions, meaning that the auditory modulation did not result from previous experience or associative learning. These results suggest that the cricket nervous system is able to integrate auditory and air-puff stimuli, and modulate the wind-elicited escape behavior depending on the acoustic context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matasaburo Fukutomi
- Biosystems Science Course, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Makoto Someya
- Biosystems Science Course, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- PREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
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Ogawa H, Kajita Y. Ca2+ imaging of cricket protocerebrum responses to air current stimulation. Neurosci Lett 2015; 584:282-6. [PMID: 25450140 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Revised: 10/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) use the cercal sensory system at the rear of the abdomen to detect air currents and direct predator avoidance behavior. Sensory information regarding the direction and dynamic properties of air currents is processed within the terminal abdominal ganglion, and conveyed by ascending giant interneurons (GIs) to higher centers including the brain. However, the brain region responsible for decoding cercal sensory information has not yet been identified, nor the response properties within the brain characterized. In this study, we performed in vivo Ca(2+) imaging to investigate wind-evoked neural activities within the cricket protocerebrum. Ca(2+) responses to air current stimuli were observed at peripheral regions of the ventrolateral neuropile (VLNP) where projection of GIs' axon terminals has been observed in larvae. The wind-evoked Ca(2+) response had temporal dynamics and directional sensitivity that varied with different recorded regions displaying transient or sustained Ca(2+) increases. Individual cells showed Ca(2+) elevation in response to air currents from a specific angle, while stimuli from a different angle evoked decreased signals. Removing the antennae reduced the air-current-evoked responses in VLNP, suggesting contribution of sensory inputs from antennae in addition to the cercal inputs. The VLNP is presumably an integrative center for mechanosensory processing from antennae and cerci where directional information is primarily decoded by protocerebral neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan; PREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan.
| | - Yoriko Kajita
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
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Oe M, Ogawa H. Neural basis of stimulus-angle-dependent motor control of wind-elicited walking behavior in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80184. [PMID: 24244644 PMCID: PMC3828193 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Crickets exhibit oriented walking behavior in response to air-current stimuli. Because crickets move in the opposite direction from the stimulus source, this behavior is considered to represent ‘escape behavior’ from an approaching predator. However, details of the stimulus-angle-dependent control of locomotion during the immediate phase, and the neural basis underlying the directional motor control of this behavior remain unclear. In this study, we used a spherical-treadmill system to measure locomotory parameters including trajectory, turn angle and velocity during the immediate phase of responses to air-puff stimuli applied from various angles. Both walking direction and turn angle were correlated with stimulus angle, but their relationships followed different rules. A shorter stimulus also induced directionally-controlled walking, but reduced the yaw rotation in stimulus-angle-dependent turning. These results suggest that neural control of the turn angle requires different sensory information than that required for oriented walking. Hemi-severance of the ventral nerve cords containing descending axons from the cephalic to the prothoracic ganglion abolished stimulus-angle-dependent control, indicating that this control required descending signals from the brain. Furthermore, we selectively ablated identified ascending giant interneurons (GIs) in vivo to examine their functional roles in wind-elicited walking. Ablation of GI8-1 diminished control of the turn angle and decreased walking distance in the initial response. Meanwhile, GI9-1b ablation had no discernible effect on stimulus-angle-dependent control or walking distance, but delayed the reaction time. These results suggest that the ascending signals conveyed by GI8-1 are required for turn-angle control and maintenance of walking behavior, and that GI9-1b is responsible for rapid initiation of walking. It is possible that individual types of GIs separately supply the sensory signals required to control wind-elicited walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momoko Oe
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- PREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Japan
- * E-mail:
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32
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Comer C, Baba Y. Active touch in orthopteroid insects: behaviours, multisensory substrates and evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 366:3006-15. [PMID: 21969682 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Orthopteroid insects (cockroaches, crickets, locusts and related species) allow examination of active sensory processing in a comparative framework. Some orthopteroids possess long, mobile antennae endowed with many chemo- and mechanoreceptors. When the antennae are touched, an animal's response depends upon the identity of the stimulus. For example, contact with a predator may lead to escape, but contact with a conspecific may usually not. Active touch of an approaching object influences the likelihood that a discrimination of identity will be made. Using cockroaches, we have identified specific descending mechanosensory interneurons that trigger antennal-mediated escape. Crucial sensory input to these cells comes from chordotonal organs within the antennal base. However, information from other receptors on the base or the long antennal flagellum allows active touch to modulate escape probability based on stimulus identity. This is conveyed, at least to some extent, by textural information. Guidance of the antennae in active exploration depends on visual information. Some of the visual interneurons and the motor neurons necessary for visuomotor control have been identified. Comparisons across Orthoptera suggest an evolutionary model where subtle changes in the architecture of interneurons, and of sensorimotor control loops, may explain differing levels of vision-touch interaction in the active guidance of behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Comer
- Division of Biological Sciences, 136 Liberal Arts Bldg, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
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33
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Aldworth ZN, Bender JA, Miller JP. Information transmission in cercal giant interneurons is unaffected by axonal conduction noise. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30115. [PMID: 22253900 PMCID: PMC3257269 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 12/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
What are the fundamental constraints on the precision and accuracy with which nervous systems can process information? One constraint must reflect the intrinsic “noisiness” of the mechanisms that transmit information between nerve cells. Most neurons transmit information through the probabilistic generation and propagation of spikes along axons, and recent modeling studies suggest that noise from spike propagation might pose a significant constraint on the rate at which information could be transmitted between neurons. However, the magnitude and functional significance of this noise source in actual cells remains poorly understood. We measured variability in conduction time along the axons of identified neurons in the cercal sensory system of the cricket Acheta domesticus, and used information theory to calculate the effects of this variability on sensory coding. We found that the variability in spike propagation speed is not large enough to constrain the accuracy of neural encoding in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zane N. Aldworth
- Center for Computational Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - John A. Bender
- Center for Computational Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - John P. Miller
- Center for Computational Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
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34
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Escape behaviors in insects. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2012; 22:180-6. [PMID: 22226514 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2011] [Revised: 12/05/2011] [Accepted: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Escape behaviors are, by necessity, fast and robust, making them excellent systems with which to study the neural basis of behavior. This is especially true in insects, which have comparatively tractable nervous systems and members who are amenable to manipulation with genetic tools. Recent technical developments in high-speed video reveal that, despite their short duration, insect escape behaviors are more complex than previously appreciated. For example, before initiating an escape jump, a fly performs sophisticated posture and stimulus-dependent preparatory leg movements that enable it to jump away from a looming threat. This newfound flexibility raises the question of how the nervous system generates a behavior that is both rapid and flexible. Recordings from the cricket nervous system suggest that synchrony between the activity of specific interneuron pairs may provide a rapid cue for the cricket to detect the direction of an approaching predator and thus which direction it should run. Technical advances make possible wireless recording from neurons while locusts escape from a looming threat, enabling, for the first time, a direct correlation between the activity of multiple neurons and the time-course of an insect escape behavior.
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35
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Bathellier B, Steinmann T, Barth FG, Casas J. Air motion sensing hairs of arthropods detect high frequencies at near-maximal mechanical efficiency. J R Soc Interface 2011; 9:1131-43. [PMID: 22171067 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Using measurements based on particle image velocimetry in combination with a novel compact theoretical framework to describe hair mechanics, we found that spider and cricket air motion sensing hairs work close to the physical limit of sensitivity and energy transmission in a broad range of relatively high frequencies. In this range, the hairs closely follow the motion of the incoming flow because a minimum of energy is dissipated by forces acting in their basal articulation. This frequency band is located beyond the frequency at which the angular displacement of the hair is maximum which is between about 40 and 600 Hz, depending on hair length (Barth et al. [1] Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 340, 445-461 (doi:10.1098/rstb.1993.0084)). Given that the magnitude of natural airborne signals is known to decrease with frequency, our results point towards the possible existence of spectral signatures in the higher frequency range that may be weak but of biological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice Bathellier
- Department of Circuit Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Pathology (IMP), Dr Bohr-Gasse 7, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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36
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Miller JP, Krueger S, Heys JJ, Gedeon T. Quantitative characterization of the filiform mechanosensory hair array on the cricket cercus. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27873. [PMID: 22132155 PMCID: PMC3221685 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Crickets and other orthopteran insects sense air currents with a pair of abdominal appendages resembling antennae, called cerci. Each cercus in the common house cricket Acheta domesticus is approximately 1 cm long, and is covered with 500 to 750 filiform mechanosensory hairs. The distribution of the hairs on the cerci, as well as the global patterns of their movement vectors, have been characterized semi-quantitatively in studies over the last 40 years, and have been shown to be very stereotypical across different animals in this species. Although the cercal sensory system has been the focus of many studies in the areas of neuroethology, development, biomechanics, sensory function and neural coding, there has not yet been a quantitative study of the functional morphology of the receptor array of this important model system. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We present a quantitative characterization of the structural characteristics and functional morphology of the cercal filiform hair array. We demonstrate that the excitatory direction along each hair's movement plane can be identified by features of its socket that are visible at the light-microscopic level, and that the length of the hair associated with each socket can also be estimated accurately from a structural parameter of the socket. We characterize the length and directionality of all hairs on the basal half of a sample of three cerci, and present statistical analyses of the distributions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The inter-animal variation of several global organizational features is low, consistent with constraints imposed by functional effectiveness and/or developmental processes. Contrary to previous reports, however, we show that the filiform hairs are not re-identifiable in the strict sense.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Miller
- Center for Computational Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America.
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37
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Brecht M, Naumann R, Anjum F, Wolfe J, Munz M, Mende C, Roth-Alpermann C. The neurobiology of Etruscan shrew active touch. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2011; 366:3026-36. [PMID: 21969684 PMCID: PMC3172601 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Etruscan shrew, Suncus etruscus, is not only the smallest terrestrial mammal, but also one of the fastest and most tactile hunters described to date. The shrew's skeletal muscle consists entirely of fast-twitch types and lacks slow fibres. Etruscan shrews detect, overwhelm, and kill insect prey in large numbers in darkness. The cricket prey is exquisitely mechanosensitive and fast-moving, and is as big as the shrew itself. Experiments with prey replica show that shape cues are both necessary and sufficient for evoking attacks. Shrew attacks are whisker guided by motion- and size-invariant Gestalt-like prey representations. Shrews often attack their prey prior to any signs of evasive manoeuvres. Shrews whisk at frequencies of approximately 14 Hz and can react with latencies as short as 25-30 ms to prey movement. The speed of attacks suggests that shrews identify and classify prey with a single touch. Large parts of the shrew's brain respond to vibrissal touch, which is represented in at least four cortical areas comprising collectively about a third of the cortical volume. Etruscan shrews can enter a torpid state and reduce their body temperature; we observed that cortical response latencies become two to three times longer when body temperature drops from 36°C to 24°C, suggesting that endothermy contributes to the animal's high-speed sensorimotor performance. We argue that small size, high-speed behaviour and extreme dependence on touch are not coincidental, but reflect an evolutionary strategy, in which the metabolic costs of small body size are outweighed by the advantages of being a short-range high-speed touch and kill predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Brecht
- BCCN, Humboldt University Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, House 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
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38
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Dupuy F, Casas J, Body M, Lazzari CR. Danger detection and escape behaviour in wood crickets. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2011; 57:865-871. [PMID: 21439965 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Revised: 03/15/2011] [Accepted: 03/16/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The wind-sensitive cercal system of Orthopteroid insects that mediates the detection of the approach of a predator is a very sensitive sensory system. It has been intensively analysed from a behavioural and neurobiological point of view, and constitutes a classical model system in neuroethology. The escape behaviour is triggered in orthopteroids by the detection of air-currents produced by approaching objects, allowing these insects to keep away from potential dangers. Nevertheless, escape behaviour has not been studied in terms of success. Moreover, an attacking predator is more than "air movement", it is also a visible moving entity. The sensory basis of predator detection is thus probably more complex than the perception of air movement by the cerci. We have used a piston mimicking an attacking running predator for a quantitative evaluation of the escape behaviour of wood crickets Nemobius sylvestris. The movement of the piston not only generates air movement, but it can be seen by the insect and can touch it as a natural predator. This procedure allowed us to study the escape behaviour in terms of detection and also in terms of success. Our results showed that 5-52% of crickets that detected the piston thrust were indeed touched. Crickets escaped to stimulation from behind better than to a stimulation from the front, even though they detected the approaching object similarly in both cases. After cerci ablation, 48% crickets were still able to detect a piston approaching from behind (compared with 79% of detection in intact insects) and 24% crickets escaped successfully (compared with 62% in the case of intact insects). So, cerci play a major role in the detection of an approaching object but other mechanoreceptors or sensory modalities are implicated in this detection. It is not possible to assure that other sensory modalities participate (in the case of intact animals) in the behaviour; rather, than in the absence of cerci other sensory modalities can partially mediate the behaviour. Nevertheless, neither antennae nor eyes seem to be used for detecting approaching objects, as their inactivation did not reduce their detection and escape abilities in the presence of cerci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne Dupuy
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 6035 CNRS-Université François Rabelais, Av Monge, Parc Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France.
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39
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Aldworth ZN, Dimitrov AG, Cummins GI, Gedeon T, Miller JP. Temporal encoding in a nervous system. PLoS Comput Biol 2011; 7:e1002041. [PMID: 21573206 PMCID: PMC3088658 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Accepted: 03/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the extent to which temporal encoding may be implemented by single neurons in the cercal sensory system of the house cricket Acheta domesticus. We found that these neurons exhibit a greater-than-expected coding capacity, due in part to an increased precision in brief patterns of action potentials. We developed linear and non-linear models for decoding the activity of these neurons. We found that the stimuli associated with short-interval patterns of spikes (ISIs of 8 ms or less) could be predicted better by second-order models as compared to linear models. Finally, we characterized the difference between these linear and second-order models in a low-dimensional subspace, and showed that modification of the linear models along only a few dimensions improved their predictive power to parity with the second order models. Together these results show that single neurons are capable of using temporal patterns of spikes as fundamental symbols in their neural code, and that they communicate specific stimulus distributions to subsequent neural structures. The information coding schemes used within nervous systems have been the focus of an entire field within neuroscience. An unresolved issue within the general coding problem is the determination of the neural “symbols” with which information is encoded in neural spike trains, analogous to the determination of the nucleotide sequences used to represent proteins in molecular biology. The goal of our study was to determine if pairs of consecutive action potentials contain more or different information about the stimuli that elicit them than would be predicted from an analysis of individual action potentials. We developed linear and non-linear coding models and used likelihood analysis to address this question for sensory interneurons in the cricket cercal sensory system. Our results show that these neurons' spike trains can be decomposed into sequences of two neural symbols: isolated single spikes and short-interval spike doublets. Given the ubiquitous nature of similar neural activity reported in other systems, we suspect that the implementation of such temporal encoding schemes may be widespread across animal phyla. Knowledge of the basic coding units used by single cells will help in building the large-scale neural network models necessary for understanding how nervous systems function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zane N Aldworth
- Center for Computational Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America.
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40
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Insausti TC, Lazzari CR, Casas J. The morphology and fine structure of the giant interneurons of the wood cricket Nemobius sylvestris. Tissue Cell 2011; 43:52-65. [PMID: 21216421 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2010.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2010] [Revised: 11/30/2010] [Accepted: 12/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The structural and ultrastructural characteristics of giant interneurons in the terminal abdominal ganglion of the cricket Nemobius sylvestris were investigated by means of cobalt and fluorescent dye backfilling and transmission electron microscopy. The projections of the 8 eight pairs of the biggest ascending interneurons (giant interneurons) are described in detail. The somata of all interneurons analyzed are located contralateral to their axons, which project to the posterior region of the terminal ganglion and arborise in the cercal glomerulus. Neuron 7-1a is an exception, because its arborisation is restricted to the anterior region of the ganglion. The fine structure of giant interneurons shows typical features of highly active cells. We observed striking indentations in the perineural layer, enabling the somata of the giant interneurons to be very close to the haemolymph. The cercal glomerulus exhibits a high diversity of synaptic contacts (i.e. axo-dendritic, axo-axonic, dendro-axonic, and dendro-dendritic), as well as areas of tight junctions. Electrical synapses seem to be present, as well as mixed synapses. The anatomical organization of the giant interneurons is finally discussed in terms of functional implications and on a comparative basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C Insausti
- Institut de Recherche sur Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 6035 CNRS - Université François Rabelais, Tours, France.
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41
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Characterizing the fine structure of a neural sensory code through information distortion. J Comput Neurosci 2010; 30:163-79. [PMID: 20730481 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-010-0261-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2010] [Revised: 07/03/2010] [Accepted: 07/20/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
We present an application of the information distortion approach to neural coding. The approach allows the discovery of neural symbols and the corresponding stimulus space of a neuron or neural ensemble simultaneously and quantitatively, making few assumptions about the nature of either code or relevant features. The neural codebook is derived by quantitizing sensory stimuli and neural responses into small reproduction sets, and optimizing the quantization to minimize the information distortion function. The application of this approach to the analysis of coding in sensory interneurons involved a further restriction of the space of allowed quantitizers to a smaller family of parametric distributions. We show that, for some cells in this system, a significant amount of information is encoded in patterns of spikes that would not be discovered through analyses based on linear stimulus-response measures.
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42
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Lewin GC, Hallam J. A computational fluid dynamics model of viscous coupling of hairs. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2010; 196:385-95. [PMID: 20383713 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-010-0524-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2009] [Revised: 03/11/2010] [Accepted: 03/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Arrays of arthropod filiform hairs form highly sensitive mechanoreceptor systems capable of detecting minute air disturbances, and it is unclear to what extent individual hairs interact with one another within sensor arrays. We present a computational fluid dynamics model for one or more hairs, coupled to a rigid-body dynamics model, for simulating both biological (e.g., a cricket cercal hair) and artificial MEMS-based systems. The model is used to investigate hair-hair interaction between pairs of hairs and quantify the extent of so-called viscous coupling. The results show that the extent to which hairs are coupled depends on the mounting properties of the hairs and the frequency at which they are driven. In particular, it is shown that for equal length hairs, viscous coupling is suppressed when they are driven near the natural frequency of the undamped system and the damping coefficient at the base is small. Further, for certain configurations, the motion of a hair can be enhanced by the presence of nearby hairs. The usefulness of the model in designing artificial systems is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory C Lewin
- Maersk-McKinney-Møller Institute for Production Technology, Southern Denmark University, Odense, Denmark.
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43
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DESUTTER-GRANDCOLAS LAURE, BLANCHET ELODIE, ROBILLARD TONY, MAGAL CHRISTELLE, VANNIER FABRICE, DANGLES OLIVIER. Evolution of the cercal sensory system in a tropical cricket clade (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Eneopterinae): a phylogenetic approach. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2009.01371.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Mulder-Rosi J, Cummins GI, Miller JP. The cricket cercal system implements delay-line processing. J Neurophysiol 2010; 103:1823-32. [PMID: 20107118 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00875.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cercal sensory system of crickets mediates sensitivity to low-amplitude air currents. The sense organ for this system is a pair of antenna-like abdominal appendages called cerci, each of which is about 1 cm long in normal adult crickets. Although this system has been used extensively as a model system for studying the mechanisms underlying neural coding at the cellular and system levels, no previous studies have considered the functional significance of the physical dimensions of cerci. We show that the differential conduction characteristics of the receptor array in Acheta domesticus crickets are of substantial significance. All filiform sensory afferent axons we examined had the same propagation speeds to within a small variance, resulting in a significant and systematic differential propagation time for spikes from sensory receptors at different locations along the structure. Thus the sensory structures operate as delay lines. The delay-line structure supports neural computations in many of the projecting cercal interneurons (INs) that yield substantial differential sensitivity to the direction and velocity of naturalistic stimuli. Several INs show delay-line-derived sensitivities that are equivalent, in an engineering sense, to "notch filtering," through which background noise is selectively eliminated by the delay-line-based processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Mulder-Rosi
- Center for Computational Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3505, USA
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45
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Abstract
Terrestrial and aquatic arthropods sense fluid flow in many behavioral and ecological contexts, using dedicated, highly sensitive mechanosensory hairs, which are often abundant. Strong similarities exist in the biomechanics of flow sensors and in the sensory ecology of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans in their respective fluid environments. We extend these considerations to flow in sand and its implications for flow sensing by arthropods inhabiting this granular medium. Finally, we highlight the need to merge the various findings of studies that have focused on different arthropods in different fluids. This could be achieved using the unique combination, for sensory ecology, of both a workable and well-accepted mathematical model for hair-based flow sensing, both in air and water, and microelectronic mechanical systems microtechnology to tinker with physical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Casas
- University of Tours, Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, IRBI UMR CNRS 6035, Tours, France.
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Vollmayr AN, Diepenbrock JP, Franosch JMP, van Hemmen JL. How crickets determine the direction of a flow field. BMC Neurosci 2009. [DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-10-s1-p113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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47
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Aonuma H, Kitamura Y, Niwa K, Ogawa H, Oka K. Nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling in the local circuit of the cricket abdominal nervous system. Neuroscience 2008; 157:749-61. [PMID: 18940234 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2008] [Revised: 08/29/2008] [Accepted: 09/17/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of potential nitric oxide (NO) donor neurons and NO-responsive target neurons was revealed in the terminal abdominal ganglion (TAG) of the cricket. The expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the nervous system was examined by Western blotting using universal nitric oxide synthase (uNOS) antibody that gave about a 130 kDa protein band. Immunohistochemistry using the uNOS antibody detected neurons whose cell bodies are located at the lateral region of the TAG. These neurons expanded their neuronal branches into the dorsal-median region or the dorsal-lateral region of the TAG. NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry was performed to confirm the distribution of NOS-containing neurons. The distributions of cell bodies and stained neuronal branches were similar to those revealed by uNOS immunohistochemistry. NO-induced cGMP immunohistochemistry was performed to reveal NO-responsive target neurons. Most of the cell bodies stained by immunohistochemistry appeared at the dorsal side of the TAG. At the dorsal-median region, some unpaired neuronal cell bodies were strongly stained. Some efferent neurons whose axon innervate into each nerve root were strongly stained. The generation of NO in the TAG was detected by NO electrode. We found that NO is generally produced to maintain a basal concentration of 70 nM. Hemoglobin scavenged released NO from the ganglion. The concentration of NO was partly recovered when hemoglobin was replaced by normal saline. Application of 10 microM L-arginine that is a substrate of NOS increased NO release by approximately 10 nM. Furthermore, an excitatory neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) also increased NO generation by approximately 40-50 nM in concentration in addition to the basal level of 70 nM. Optical imaging with fluorescent NO-indicator demonstrated that ACh-induced enhancement of NO release was transiently observed in the outer-edge region of TAG, where cell bodies of NOS-immunoreactive neurons were located. These results suggest that ACh accelerates NO production via neuronal events activated by ACh in the TAG.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Aonuma
- Laboratory of Neuro-Cybernetics, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
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