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Haidarliu S, Nelinger G, Gantar L, Ahissar E, Saraf-Sinik I. Functional anatomy of mystacial active sensing in rats. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:442-456. [PMID: 37644754 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Rats' whisking motion and objects' palpation produce tactile signals sensed by mechanoreceptors at the vibrissal follicles. Rats adjust their whisking patterns to target information type, flow, and resolution, adapting to their behavioral needs and the changing environment. This coordination requires control over the activity of the mystacial pad's intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. Studies have relied on muscle recording and stimulation techniques to describe the roles of individual muscles. However, these methods lack the resolution to isolate the mystacial pad's small and compactly arranged muscles. Thus, we propose functional anatomy as a complementary approach for studying the individual and coordinated effects of the mystacial pad muscles on vibrissae movements. Our functional analysis addresses the kinematic measurements of whisking motion patterns recorded in freely exploring rats. Combined with anatomical descriptions of muscles and fascia elements of the mystacial pad in situ, we found: (1) the contributions of individual mystacial pad muscles to the different whisking motion patterns; (2) active touch by microvibrissae, and its underlying mechanism; and (3) dynamic position changes of the vibrissae pivot point, as determined by the movements of the corium and subcapsular fibrous mat. Finally, we hypothesize that each of the rat mystacial pad muscles is specialized for a particular function in a way that matches the architecture of the fascial structures. Consistent with biotensegrity principles, the muscles and fascia form a network of structural support and continuous tension that determine the arrangement and motion of the embedded individual follicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Haidarliu
- Department of Brain Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Guy Nelinger
- Department of Brain Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Luka Gantar
- Department of Brain Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Division of Neuroscience, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ehud Ahissar
- Department of Brain Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Inbar Saraf-Sinik
- Department of Brain Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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2
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Romeo A, Supèr H. Spiking model of fixational eye movements and figure-ground segmentation. NETWORK (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2022; 33:143-166. [PMID: 35613078 DOI: 10.1080/0954898x.2022.2073393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We present a model connecting eye movements and cortical state. Its structure includes simulated retinal images, motion detection, feature detectors and layers of spiking neurons. The designed scheme shows how the effect of micro-saccadic scale eye movements can lead to successful figure segregation in a figure-ground paradigm, by inducing changes in the neural dynamics through the time evolution of the inhibition range.
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Affiliation(s)
- August Romeo
- Vision and Control of Action Group, Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hans Supèr
- Vision and Control of Action Group, Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UBNeuro), Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Ebbesen CL, Froemke RC. Body language signals for rodent social communication. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:91-106. [PMID: 33582455 PMCID: PMC8243782 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Integration of social cues to initiate adaptive emotional and behavioral responses is a fundamental aspect of animal and human behavior. In humans, social communication includes prominent nonverbal components, such as social touch, gestures and facial expressions. Comparative studies investigating the neural basis of social communication in rodents has historically been centered on olfactory signals and vocalizations, with relatively less focus on non-verbal social cues. Here, we outline two exciting research directions: First, we will review recent observations pointing to a role of social facial expressions in rodents. Second, we will review observations that point to a role of 'non-canonical' rodent body language: body posture signals beyond stereotyped displays in aggressive and sexual behavior. In both sections, we will outline how social neuroscience can build on recent advances in machine learning, robotics and micro-engineering to push these research directions forward towards a holistic systems neurobiology of rodent body language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian L Ebbesen
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Neuroscience Institute, Departments of Otolaryngology, Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Neuroscience Institute, Departments of Otolaryngology, Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar, USA.
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4
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Lorenzo PMD. Neural Coding of Food Is a Multisensory, Sensorimotor Function. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13020398. [PMID: 33513918 PMCID: PMC7911409 DOI: 10.3390/nu13020398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This review is a curated discussion of the relationship between the gustatory system and the perception of food beginning at the earliest stage of neural processing. A brief description of the idea of taste qualities and mammalian anatomy of the taste system is presented first, followed by an overview of theories of taste coding. The case is made that food is encoded by the several senses that it stimulates beginning in the brainstem and extending throughout the entire gustatory neuraxis. In addition, the feedback from food-related movements is seamlessly melded with sensory input to create the representation of food objects in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia M Di Lorenzo
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
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5
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Haidarliu S, Bagdasarian K, Sardonicus S, Ahissar E. Interaction between muscles and fascia in the mystacial pad of whisking rodents. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 304:400-412. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Knarik Bagdasarian
- Department of Neurobiology The Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot Israel
| | | | - Ehud Ahissar
- Department of Neurobiology The Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot Israel
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6
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Tsur O, Khrapunsky Y, Azouz R. Sensorimotor integration in the whisker somatosensory brain stem trigeminal loop. J Neurophysiol 2019; 122:2061-2075. [PMID: 31533013 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00116.2019] [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 rodent's vibrissal system is a useful model system for studying sensorimotor integration in perception. This integration determines the way in which sensory information is acquired by sensory organs and the motor commands that control them. The initial instance of sensorimotor integration in the whisker somatosensory system is implemented in the brain stem loop and may be essential to the way rodents explore and sense their environment. To examine the nature of these sensorimotor interactions, we recorded from lightly anesthetized rats in vivo and brain stem slices in vitro and isolated specific parts of this loop. We found that motor feedback to the vibrissal pad serves as a dynamic gain controller that controls the response of first-order sensory neurons by increasing and decreasing sensitivity to lower and higher tactile stimulus magnitudes, respectively. This delicate mechanism is mediated through tactile stimulus magnitude-dependent motor feedback. Conversely, tactile inputs affect the motor whisking output through influences on the rhythmic whisking circuitry, thus changing whisking kinetics. Similarly, tactile influences also modify the whisking amplitude through synaptic and intrinsic neuronal interaction in the facial nucleus, resulting in facilitation or suppression of whisking amplitude. These results point to the vast range of mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration in the brain stem loop.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Sensorimotor integration is a process in which sensory and motor information is combined to control the flow of sensory information, as well as to adjust the motor system output. We found in the rodent's whisker somatosensory system mutual influences between tactile inputs and motor output, in which motor neurons control the flow of sensory information depending on their magnitude. Conversely, sensory information can control the magnitude and kinetics of whisker movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Tsur
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Yana Khrapunsky
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Rony Azouz
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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7
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Denman AJ, Sammons JD, Victor JD, Di Lorenzo PM. Heterogeneity of neuronal responses in the nucleus of the solitary tract suggests sensorimotor integration in the neural code for taste. J Neurophysiol 2018; 121:634-645. [PMID: 30565959 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00578.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Theories of neural coding in the taste system typically rely exclusively on data gleaned from taste-responsive cells. However, even in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), the first stage of central processing, neurons with taste selectivity coexist with neurons whose activity is linked to motor behavior related to ingestion. We recorded from a large ( n = 324) sample of NTS neurons recorded in awake rats, examining both their taste selectivity and the association of their activity with licking. All subjects were implanted with a bundle of microelectrodes aimed at the NTS and allowed to recover. Following moderate water deprivation, rats were placed in an experimental chamber where tastants or artificial saliva (AS) were delivered from a lick spout. Electrophysiological responses were recorded, and waveforms from single cells were isolated offline. Results showed that only a minority of NTS cells responded to taste stimuli as determined by conventional firing-rate measures. In contrast, most cells, including taste-responsive cells, tracked the lick pattern, as evidenced by significant lick coherence in the 5- to 7-Hz range. Several quantitative measures of taste selectivity and lick relatedness showed that the population formed a continuum, ranging from cells dominated by taste responses to those dominated by lick relatedness. Moreover, even neurons whose responses were highly correlated with lick activity could convey substantial information about taste quality. In all, data point to a blurred boundary between taste-dominated and lick-related cells in NTS, suggesting that information from the taste of food and from the movements it evokes are seamlessly integrated. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Neurons in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) are known to encode information about taste. However, recordings from awake rats reveal that only a minority of NTS cells respond exclusively to taste stimuli. The majority of neurons track behaviors associated with food consumption, and even strongly lick-related neurons could convey information about taste quality. These findings suggest that the NTS integrates information from both taste and behavior to identify food.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua D Sammons
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University , Binghamton, New York
| | - Jonathan D Victor
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute and Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College , New York, New York
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8
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McElvain LE, Friedman B, Karten HJ, Svoboda K, Wang F, Deschênes M, Kleinfeld D. Circuits in the rodent brainstem that control whisking in concert with other orofacial motor actions. Neuroscience 2018; 368:152-170. [PMID: 28843993 PMCID: PMC5849401 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The world view of rodents is largely determined by sensation on two length scales. One is within the animal's peri-personal space; sensorimotor control on this scale involves active movements of the nose, tongue, head, and vibrissa, along with sniffing to determine olfactory clues. The second scale involves the detection of more distant space through vision and audition; these detection processes also impact repositioning of the head, eyes, and ears. Here we focus on orofacial motor actions, primarily vibrissa-based touch but including nose twitching, head bobbing, and licking, that control sensation at short, peri-personal distances. The orofacial nuclei for control of the motor plants, as well as primary and secondary sensory nuclei associated with these motor actions, lie within the hindbrain. The current data support three themes: First, the position of the sensors is determined by the summation of two drive signals, i.e., a fast rhythmic component and an evolving orienting component. Second, the rhythmic component is coordinated across all orofacial motor actions and is phase-locked to sniffing as the animal explores. Reverse engineering reveals that the preBötzinger inspiratory complex provides the reset to the relevant premotor oscillators. Third, direct feedback from somatosensory trigeminal nuclei can rapidly alter motion of the sensors. This feedback is disynaptic and can be tuned by high-level inputs. A holistic model for the coordination of orofacial motor actions into behaviors will encompass feedback pathways through the midbrain and forebrain, as well as hindbrain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E McElvain
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Beth Friedman
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Harvey J Karten
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Martin Deschênes
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Section of Neurobiology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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9
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Bellavance MA, Takatoh J, Lu J, Demers M, Kleinfeld D, Wang F, Deschênes M. Parallel Inhibitory and Excitatory Trigemino-Facial Feedback Circuitry for Reflexive Vibrissa Movement. Neuron 2017; 95:673-682.e4. [PMID: 28735746 PMCID: PMC5845798 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.06.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Animals employ active touch to optimize the acuity of their tactile sensors. Prior experimental results and models lead to the hypothesis that sensory inputs are used in a recurrent manner to tune the position of the sensors. A combination of electrophysiology, intersectional genetic viral labeling and manipulation, and classical tracing allowed us to identify second-order sensorimotor loops that control vibrissa movements by rodents. Facial motoneurons that drive intrinsic muscles to protract the vibrissae receive a short latency inhibitory input, followed by synaptic excitation, from neurons located in the oralis division of the trigeminal sensory complex. In contrast, motoneurons that retract the mystacial pad and indirectly retract the vibrissae receive only excitatory input from interpolaris cells that further project to the thalamus. Silencing this feedback alters retraction. The observed pull-push circuit at the lowest-level sensorimotor loop provides a mechanism for the rapid modulation of vibrissa touch during exploration of peri-personal space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Andrée Bellavance
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Jun Takatoh
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jinghao Lu
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Maxime Demers
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Section of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - Martin Deschênes
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada.
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10
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Attention Robustly Gates a Closed-Loop Touch Reflex. Curr Biol 2017; 27:1836-1843.e7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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11
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Lucianna FA, Albarracín AL, Vrech SM, Farfán FD, Felice CJ. The mathematical whisker: A review of numerical models of the rat׳s vibrissa biomechanics. J Biomech 2016; 49:2007-2014. [PMID: 27260019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The vibrissal system of the rat refers to specialized hairs the animal uses for tactile sensory perception. Rats actively move their whiskers in a characteristic way called "whisking". Interaction with the environment produces elastic deformation of the whiskers, generating mechanical signals in the whisker-follicle complex. Advances in our understanding of the vibrissal complex biomechanics is of interest not only for the biological research field, but also for biomimetic approaches. The recent development of whisker numerical models has contributed to comprehending its sophisticated movements and its interactions with the follicle. The great diversity of behavioral patterns and complexities of the whisker-follicle ensemble encouraged the creation of many different biomechanical models. This review analyzes most of the whisker biomechanical models that have been developed so far. This review was written so as to render it accessible to readers coming from different research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Facundo Adrián Lucianna
- Laboratorio de Medios e Interfases (LAMEIN), Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
| | - Ana Lía Albarracín
- Laboratorio de Medios e Interfases (LAMEIN), Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Sonia Mariel Vrech
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Center for Numerical and Computational Methods in Engineering (CEMCI), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Fernando Daniel Farfán
- Laboratorio de Medios e Interfases (LAMEIN), Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Carmelo José Felice
- Laboratorio de Medios e Interfases (LAMEIN), Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
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12
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Ahissar E, Ozana S, Arieli A. 1-D Vision: Encoding of Eye Movements by Simple Receptive Fields. Perception 2015; 44:986-94. [PMID: 26562913 DOI: 10.1177/0301006615594946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Eye movements (eyeM) are an essential component of visual perception. They allow the sampling and scanning of stationary scenes at various spatial scales, primarily at the scene level, via saccades, and at the local level, via fixational eyeM. Given the constant motion of visual images on the retina, a crucial factor in resolving spatial ambiguities related to the external scene is the exact trajectory of eyeM. We show here that the trajectory of eyeM can be encoded at high resolution by simple retinal receptive fields of the symmetrical type. We also show that such encoding can account for motion illusions such as the Ouchi illusion. In addition, encoding of motion projections along horizontal and vertical symmetrical simple retinal receptive fields entails a kind of Cartesian decomposition of the 2-D image into two 1-D projections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehud Ahissar
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shira Ozana
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Amos Arieli
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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13
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Haidarliu S, Kleinfeld D, Deschênes M, Ahissar E. The Musculature That Drives Active Touch by Vibrissae and Nose in Mice. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2014; 298:1347-58. [PMID: 25408106 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Coordinated action of facial muscles during whisking, sniffing, and touching objects is an important component of active sensing in rodents. Accumulating evidence suggests that the anatomical schemes that underlie active sensing are similar across the majority of whisking rodents. Intriguingly, however, muscle architecture in the mystacial pad of the mouse was reported to be different, possessing only one extrinsic vibrissa protracting muscle (M. nasalis) in the rostral part of the snout. In this study, the organization of the muscles that move the nose and the mystacial vibrissae in mice was re-examined and compared with that reported previously in other rodents. We found that muscle distribution within the mystacial pad and around the tip of the nose in mice is isomorphic with that found in other whisking rodents. In particular, in the rostral part of the mouse snout, we describe both protractors and retractors of the vibrissae. Nose movements are controlled by the M. dilator nasi and five subunits of the M. nasolabialis profundus, with involvement of the nasal cartilaginous skeleton as a mediator in the muscular effort translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Haidarliu
- Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics and Section of Neurobiology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Martin Deschênes
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec City, Canada
| | - Ehud Ahissar
- Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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14
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Voigts J, Herman DH, Celikel T. Tactile object localization by anticipatory whisker motion. J Neurophysiol 2014; 113:620-32. [PMID: 25339711 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00241.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents use rhythmic protractions of their whiskers to locate objects in space. The amplitude of these protractions is reduced when whiskers contact objects, leading to a tendency of whiskers to only lightly touch the environment. While the impact of this process on the sensory input has been studied, little is known about how sensory input causes this change in the motor pattern. Here, using high-speed imaging of whisking in mice, we simultaneously measured whisker contacts and the resulting whisking motion. We found that mice precisely target their whisker protractions to the distance at which they expect objects. This modulation does not depend on the current sensory input and remains stable for at least one whisking cycle when there is no object contact or when the object position is changed. As a result, the timing and other information carried by whisker contacts encodes how well each protraction was matched to the object, functioning as an error signal. Whisker contacts can thus encode a mismatch between expected object locations and the actual environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Voigts
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Plasticity, USC, Los Angeles, California
| | - David H Herman
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Plasticity, USC, Los Angeles, California; Neuroscience Graduate Program, USC, Los Angeles, California; and
| | - Tansu Celikel
- Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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