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Graff MM, Belli HM, Wieskotten S, Bresee CS, Krüger Y, Janssen TL, Dehnhardt G, Hartmann MJZ. Spatial arrangement of the whiskers of harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ) compared to whisker arrangements of house mice ( Mus musculus ) and brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus ). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.15.575743. [PMID: 38293081 PMCID: PMC10827100 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.15.575743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Whiskers (vibrissae) are important tactile sensors for most mammals. We introduce a novel approach to quantitatively compare 3D geometry of whisker arrays across species with different whisker numbers and arrangements, focusing on harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ), house mice ( Mus musculus ) and Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus ). Whiskers of all three species decrease in arclength and increase in curvature from caudal to rostral. They emerge from the face with elevation angles that vary linearly with dorsoventral position, and with curvature orientations that vary diagonally as linear combinations of dorsoventral and rostrocaudal positions. In seals, this diagonal varies linearly with horizontal emergence angles, and is orthogonal to the diagonal for rats and mice. This work provides the first evidence for common elements of whisker arrangements across species in different mammalian orders. Placing the equation-based whisker array on a CAD model of a seal head enables future mechanical studies of whisker-based sensing, including wake-tracking. SUMMARY STATEMENT We quantify the three-dimensional positions and orientations of the whiskers across the face of the harbor seal, and compare this geometry with the whisker arrays of rats and mice.
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Pardiñas UFJ, Brito J, Soto EC, Cañón C. Comparative morphology of the rhinarium and upper lip in sigmodontine rodents: Refined nomenclature, intertribal variation in a phylogenetic framework, and functional inferences. J Morphol 2024; 285:e21760. [PMID: 39205331 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Rodents have received substantial attention in the study of olfaction. However, the rhinarium, the naked part of the nose, which plays an important role in chemical, tactile, and thermal perception, has been relatively overlooked. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the rhinarium morphology and spatially associated structures (i.e., upper lip, and philtrum) in sigmodontines, a diverse group within the Cricetidae rodents. The research covers 483 specimens representing 145 species, accounting for 74% of genera in the clade, including all 13 recognized tribes, three incertae sedis genera, and the murid representatives Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus. The inconsistent use of terminology in describing rhinarium traits across the literature poses a challenge for comparative analyzes. To address this issue, a standardized terminology was proposed to characterize the rhinarium. A paired complex protuberance typically with epidermal ridges (i.e., rhinoglyphics), termed here the tubercle of Hill, was identified as a distinctive feature in muroid rhinaria. Comparative assessments among tribes revealed unique sets of features defining each major clade, encompassing variations in hairiness, dorsum nasi complexity, size and positioning of the tubercle of Hill, and other key attributes. Two primary rhinarium configurations were discerned: one shared by Oryzomyalia and Sigmodontini and another specific to Ichthyomyini. The former groups display a ventrally positioned rhinarium prominently featuring the tubercle of Hill and sculptured areola circularis. In contrast, Ichthyomyini exhibit a frontally directed rhinarium characterized by an enlarged dorsum nasi fused to the tubercle of Hill, resulting in a distinctive "cherry" appearance. Convergent rhinarium structures observed in fossorial species, characterized by well-developed plica alaris and hair fringes, are presumed to mitigate potential damage during digging. Conversely, semiaquatic carnivorous sigmodontines showcase an integrated apical structure in their rhinarium, facilitating enhanced somatosensory capabilities crucial for predation activities during diving expeditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulyses F J Pardiñas
- Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral (IDEAUS-CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Jorge Brito
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Erika Cuellar Soto
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
| | - Carola Cañón
- Departamento de Ecología, Cape Horn International Center for Global Change Studies and Biocultural Conservation (CHIC), Puerto Williams, and Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CGR), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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3
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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: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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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4
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Sharma H, Azouz R. Global and local neuronal coding of tactile information in the barrel cortex. Front Neurosci 2024; 17:1291864. [PMID: 38249584 PMCID: PMC10796699 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1291864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
During tactile sensation in rodents, the whisker movements across surfaces give rise to intricate whisker motions that encompass discrete and transient stick-slip events, effectively conveying valuable information regarding surface properties. These surface characteristics are transformed into cortical neuronal responses. This study examined the coding strategies underlying these transformations in rat whiskers. We found that changes in surface coarseness modified the number and magnitude of stick-slip events, which in turn both modulated properties of neuronal responses. Global changes in the number of stick-slip events primarily affected neuronal discharge rates and the degree of neuronal synchronization. In contrast, local changes in the magnitude of stick-slip events affected the transformation of these kinematic and kinetic characteristics into neuronal discharges. Most cortical neurons exhibited surface coarseness selectivity through global and local stick-slip event properties. However, this selectivity varied across coding strategies in the same neurons, given that each coding strategy reflected different aspects of changes in whisker-surface interactions. The degree of spatial similarity in surface coarseness preference in adjacently recorded neurons differed among these coding strategies. Adjacently recorded neurons exhibited the same surface coarseness preference in their firing rates but not through other coding strategies. Through these results, we were able to show that local stick-slip event properties contribute to texture discrimination, complementing and surpassing global coding in this context. These findings suggest that the representation of surface coarseness in the cortex may rely on concurrent coding strategies that integrate tactile information across different spatiotemporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rony Azouz
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Southern District, Israel
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5
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Zhai P, Romano V, Soggia G, Bauer S, van Wingerden N, Jacobs T, van der Horst A, White JJ, Mazza R, De Zeeuw CI. Whisker kinematics in the cerebellum. J Physiol 2024; 602:153-181. [PMID: 37987552 DOI: 10.1113/jp284064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The whisker system is widely used as a model system for understanding sensorimotor integration. Purkinje cells in the crus regions of the cerebellum have been reported to linearly encode whisker midpoint, but it is unknown whether the paramedian and simplex lobules as well as their target neurons in the cerebellar nuclei also encode whisker kinematics and if so which ones. Elucidating how these kinematics are represented throughout the cerebellar hemisphere is essential for understanding how the cerebellum coordinates multiple sensorimotor modalities. Exploring the cerebellar hemisphere of mice using optogenetic stimulation, we found that whisker movements can be elicited by stimulation of Purkinje cells in not only crus1 and crus2, but also in the paramedian lobule and lobule simplex; activation of cells in the medial paramedian lobule had on average the shortest latency, whereas that of cells in lobule simplex elicited similar kinematics as those in crus1 and crus2. During spontaneous whisking behaviour, simple spike activity correlated in general better with velocity than position of the whiskers, but it varied between protraction and retraction as well as per lobule. The cerebellar nuclei neurons targeted by the Purkinje cells showed similar activity patterns characterized by a wide variety of kinematic signals, yet with a dominance for velocity. Taken together, our data indicate that whisker movements are much more prominently and diversely represented in the cerebellar cortex and nuclei than assumed, highlighting the rich repertoire of cerebellar control in the kinematics of movements that can be engaged during coordination. KEY POINTS: Excitation of Purkinje cells throughout the cerebellar hemispheres induces whisker movement, with the shortest latency and longest duration within the paramedian lobe. Purkinje cells have differential encoding for the fast and slow components of whisking. Purkinje cells encode not only the position but also the velocity of whiskers. Purkinje cells with high sensitivity for whisker velocity are preferentially located in the medial part of lobule simplex, crus1 and lateral paramedian. In the downstream cerebellar nuclei, neurons with high sensitivity for whisker velocity are located at the intersection between the medial and interposed nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Zhai
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vincenzo Romano
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Giulia Soggia
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Staf Bauer
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Thomas Jacobs
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Joshua J White
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Roberta Mazza
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Chris I De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Dutch Academy of Arts & Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Kleinfeld D, Deschênes M, Economo MN, Elbaz M, Golomb D, Liao SM, O'Connor DH, Wang F. Low- and high-level coordination of orofacial motor actions. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 83:102784. [PMID: 37757586 PMCID: PMC11034851 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Orofacial motor actions are movements that, in rodents, involve whisking of the vibrissa, deflection of the nose, licking and lapping with the tongue, and consumption through chewing. These actions, along with bobbing and turning of the head, coordinate to subserve exploration while not conflicting with life-supporting actions such as breathing and swallowing. Orofacial and head movements are comprised of two additive components: a rhythm that can be entrained by the breathing oscillator and a broadband component that directs the actuator to the region of interest. We focus on coordinating the rhythmic component of actions into a behavior. We hypothesize that the precise timing of each constituent action is continually adjusted through the merging of low-level oscillator input with sensory-derived, high-level rhythmic feedback. Supporting evidence is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Martin Deschênes
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, G1J 2R3 Canada
| | - Michael N Economo
- Department of Bioengineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Michaël Elbaz
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - David Golomb
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben Gurion University, Be'er-Sheba 8410501, Israel; Department of Physics, Ben Gurion University, Be'er-Sheba 8410501, Israel
| | - Song-Mao Liao
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Zynval Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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7
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Liao SM, Kleinfeld D. A change in behavioral state switches the pattern of motor output that underlies rhythmic head and orofacial movements. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1951-1966.e6. [PMID: 37105167 PMCID: PMC10225163 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The breathing rhythm serves as a reference that paces orofacial motor actions and orchestrates active sensing. Past work has reported that pacing occurs solely at a fixed phase relative to sniffing. We re-evaluated this constraint as a function of exploratory behavior. Allocentric and egocentric rotations of the head and the electromyogenic activity of the motoneurons for head and orofacial movements were recorded in free-ranging rats as they searched for food. We found that a change in state from foraging to rearing is accompanied by a large phase shift in muscular activation relative to sniffing, and a concurrent change in the frequency of sniffing, so that pacing now occurs at one of the two phases. Further, head turning is biased such that an animal gathers a novel sample of its environment upon inhalation. In total, the coordination of active sensing has a previously unrealized computational complexity. This can emerge from hindbrain circuits with fixed architecture and credible synaptic time delays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Mao Liao
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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8
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Golomb D, Moore JD, Fassihi A, Takatoh J, Prevosto V, Wang F, Kleinfeld D. Theory of hierarchically organized neuronal oscillator dynamics that mediate rodent rhythmic whisking. Neuron 2022; 110:3833-3851.e22. [PMID: 36113472 PMCID: PMC10248719 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Rodents explore their environment through coordinated orofacial motor actions, including whisking. Whisking can free-run via an oscillator of inhibitory neurons in the medulla and can be paced by breathing. Yet, the mechanics of the whisking oscillator and its interaction with breathing remain to be understood. We formulate and solve a hierarchical model of the whisking circuit. The first whisk within a breathing cycle is generated by inhalation, which resets a vibrissa oscillator circuit, while subsequent whisks are derived from the oscillator circuit. Our model posits, consistent with experiment, that there are two subpopulations of oscillator neurons. Stronger connections between the subpopulations support rhythmicity, while connections within each subpopulation induce variable spike timing that enhances the dynamic range of rhythm generation. Calculated cycle-to-cycle changes in whisking are consistent with experiment. Our model provides a computational framework to support longstanding observations of concurrent autonomous and driven rhythmic motor actions that comprise behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Golomb
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben Gurion University, Be'er-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Department of Physics, Ben Gurion University, Be'er-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University, Be'er-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Jeffrey D Moore
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Arash Fassihi
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jun Takatoh
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Vincent Prevosto
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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9
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O'Connor DH, Krubitzer L, Bensmaia S. Of mice and monkeys: Somatosensory processing in two prominent animal models. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 201:102008. [PMID: 33587956 PMCID: PMC8096687 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the neural basis of somatosensation is based largely on studies of the whisker system of mice and rats and the hands of macaque monkeys. Results across these animal models are often interpreted as providing direct insight into human somatosensation. Work on these systems has proceeded in parallel, capitalizing on the strengths of each model, but has rarely been considered as a whole. This lack of integration promotes a piecemeal understanding of somatosensation. Here, we examine the functions and morphologies of whiskers of mice and rats, the hands of macaque monkeys, and the somatosensory neuraxes of these three species. We then discuss how somatosensory information is encoded in their respective nervous systems, highlighting similarities and differences. We reflect on the limitations of these models of human somatosensation and consider key gaps in our understanding of the neural basis of somatosensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H O'Connor
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States; Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, United States
| | - Leah Krubitzer
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, United States
| | - Sliman Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, United States; Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, United States; Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, United States.
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10
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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: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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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11
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Tenney AP, Livet J, Belton T, Prochazkova M, Pearson EM, Whitman MC, Kulkarni AB, Engle EC, Henderson CE. Etv1 Controls the Establishment of Non-overlapping Motor Innervation of Neighboring Facial Muscles during Development. Cell Rep 2020; 29:437-452.e4. [PMID: 31597102 PMCID: PMC7032945 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The somatotopic motor-neuron projections onto their cognate target muscles are essential for coordinated movement, but how that occurs for facial motor circuits, which have critical roles in respiratory and interactive behaviors, is poorly understood. We report extensive molecular heterogeneity in developing facial motor neurons in the mouse and identify markers of subnuclei and the motor pools innervating specific facial muscles. Facial subnuclei differentiate during migration to the ventral hindbrain, where neurons with progressively later birth dates—and evolutionarily more recent functions—settle in more-lateral positions. One subpopulation marker, ETV1, determines both positional and target muscle identity for neurons of the dorsolateral (DL) subnucleus. In Etv1 mutants, many markers of DL differentiation are lost, and individual motor pools project indifferently to their own and neighboring muscle targets. The resulting aberrant activation patterns are reminiscent of the facial synkinesis observed in humans after facial nerve injury. Tenney et al. demonstrate that embryonic facial motor neurons are transcriptionally diverse as they establish somatotopic innervation of the facial muscles, a process that requires the transcription factor ETV1. Facial-motor axon-targeting errors in Etv1 mutants cause coordination of whisking and eyeblink evocative of human blepharospasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan P Tenney
- Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease (MNC), Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Jean Livet
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Timothy Belton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Michaela Prochazkova
- Functional Genomics Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Erica M Pearson
- Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease (MNC), Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Mary C Whitman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ashok B Kulkarni
- Functional Genomics Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Engle
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Christopher E Henderson
- Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease (MNC), Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Columbia Stem Cell Initiative (CSCI), Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative (CTNI), Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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12
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Staiger JF, Petersen CCH. Neuronal Circuits in Barrel Cortex for Whisker Sensory Perception. Physiol Rev 2020; 101:353-415. [PMID: 32816652 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00019.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The array of whiskers on the snout provides rodents with tactile sensory information relating to the size, shape and texture of objects in their immediate environment. Rodents can use their whiskers to detect stimuli, distinguish textures, locate objects and navigate. Important aspects of whisker sensation are thought to result from neuronal computations in the whisker somatosensory cortex (wS1). Each whisker is individually represented in the somatotopic map of wS1 by an anatomical unit named a 'barrel' (hence also called barrel cortex). This allows precise investigation of sensory processing in the context of a well-defined map. Here, we first review the signaling pathways from the whiskers to wS1, and then discuss current understanding of the various types of excitatory and inhibitory neurons present within wS1. Different classes of cells can be defined according to anatomical, electrophysiological and molecular features. The synaptic connectivity of neurons within local wS1 microcircuits, as well as their long-range interactions and the impact of neuromodulators, are beginning to be understood. Recent technological progress has allowed cell-type-specific connectivity to be related to cell-type-specific activity during whisker-related behaviors. An important goal for future research is to obtain a causal and mechanistic understanding of how selected aspects of tactile sensory information are processed by specific types of neurons in the synaptically connected neuronal networks of wS1 and signaled to downstream brain areas, thus contributing to sensory-guided decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen F Staiger
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuroanatomy, Göttingen, Germany; and Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Faculty of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuroanatomy, Göttingen, Germany; and Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Faculty of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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13
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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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14
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Predictive whisker kinematics reveal context-dependent sensorimotor strategies. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000571. [PMID: 32453721 PMCID: PMC7274460 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals actively move their sensory organs in order to acquire sensory information. Some rodents, such as mice and rats, employ cyclic scanning motions of their facial whiskers to explore their proximal surrounding, a behavior known as whisking. Here, we investigated the contingency of whisking kinematics on the animal's behavioral context that arises from both internal processes (attention and expectations) and external constraints (available sensory and motor degrees of freedom). We recorded rat whisking at high temporal resolution in 2 experimental contexts-freely moving or head-fixed-and 2 spatial sensory configurations-a single row or 3 caudal whiskers on each side of the snout. We found that rapid sensorimotor twitches, called pumps, occurring during free-air whisking carry information about the rat's upcoming exploratory direction, as demonstrated by the ability of these pumps to predict consequent head and body locomotion. Specifically, pump behavior during both voluntary motionlessness and imposed head fixation exposed a backward redistribution of sensorimotor exploratory resources. Further, head-fixed rats employed a wide range of whisking profiles to compensate for the loss of head- and body-motor degrees of freedom. Finally, changing the number of intact vibrissae available to a rat resulted in an alteration of whisking strategy consistent with the rat actively reallocating its remaining resources. In sum, this work shows that rats adapt their active exploratory behavior in a homeostatic attempt to preserve sensorimotor coverage under changing environmental conditions and changing sensory capacities, including those imposed by various laboratory conditions.
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15
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de Britto AA, Magalhães KS, da Silva MP, Paton JFR, Moraes DJA. Active expiratory oscillator regulates nasofacial and oral motor activities in rats. Exp Physiol 2020; 105:379-392. [PMID: 31820827 DOI: 10.1113/ep088046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? Does the parafacial respiratory group (pFRG), which mediates active expiration, recruit nasofacial and oral motoneurons to coordinate motor activities that engage muscles controlling airways in rats during active expiration. What is the main finding and its importance? Hypercapnia/acidosis or pFRG activation evoked active expiration and stimulated the motoneurons and nerves responsible for the control of nasofacial and oral airways patency simultaneously. Bilateral pFRG inhibition abolished active expiration and the simultaneous nasofacial and oral motor activities induced by hypercapnia/acidosis. The pFRG is more than a rhythmic oscillator for expiratory pump muscles: it also coordinates nasofacial and oral motor commands that engage muscles controlling airways. ABSTRACT Active expiration is mediated by an expiratory oscillator located in the parafacial respiratory group (pFRG). Active expiration requires more than contracting expiratory muscles as multiple cranial nerves are recruited to stabilize the naso- and oropharyngeal airways. We tested the hypothesis that activation of the pFRG recruits facial and trigeminal motoneurons to coordinate nasofacial and oral motor activities that engage muscles controlling airways in rats during active expiration. Using a combination of electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches, we identified brainstem circuits that phase-lock active expiration, nasofacial and oral motor outputs in an in situ preparation of rat. We found that either high chemical drive (hypercapnia/acidosis) or unilateral excitation (glutamate microinjection) of the pFRG evoked active expiration and stimulated motoneurons (facial and trigeminal) and motor nerves responsible for the control of nasofacial (buccal and zygomatic branches of the facial nerve) and oral (mylohyoid nerve) motor outputs simultaneously. Bilateral pharmacological inhibition (GABAergic and glycinergic receptor activation) of the pFRG abolished active expiration and the simultaneous nasofacial and oral motor activities induced by hypercapnia/acidosis. We conclude that the pFRG provides the excitatory drive to phase-lock rhythmic nasofacial and oral motor circuits during active expiration in rats. Therefore, the pFRG is more than a rhythmic oscillator for expiratory pump muscles: it also coordinates nasofacial and oral motor commands that engage muscles controlling airways in rats during active expiration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan A de Britto
- School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Department of Physiology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Karolyne S Magalhães
- School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Department of Physiology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Melina P da Silva
- School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Department of Physiology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Julian F R Paton
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Park Road, Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Davi J A Moraes
- School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Department of Physiology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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16
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Bolus MF, Willats AA, Whitmire CJ, Rozell CJ, Stanley GB. Design strategies for dynamic closed-loop optogenetic neurocontrol in vivo. J Neural Eng 2019; 15:026011. [PMID: 29300002 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/aaa506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Controlling neural activity enables the possibility of manipulating sensory perception, cognitive processes, and body movement, in addition to providing a powerful framework for functionally disentangling the neural circuits that underlie these complex phenomena. Over the last decade, optogenetic stimulation has become an increasingly important and powerful tool for understanding neural circuit function, owing to the ability to target specific cell types and bidirectionally modulate neural activity. To date, most stimulation has been provided in open-loop or in an on/off closed-loop fashion, where previously-determined stimulation is triggered by an event. Here, we describe and demonstrate a design approach for precise optogenetic control of neuronal firing rate modulation using feedback to guide stimulation continuously. APPROACH Using the rodent somatosensory thalamus as an experimental testbed for realizing desired time-varying patterns of firing rate modulation, we utilized a moving average exponential filter to estimate firing rate online from single-unit spiking measured extracellularly. This estimate of instantaneous rate served as feedback for a proportional integral (PI) controller, which was designed during the experiment based on a linear-nonlinear Poisson (LNP) model of the neuronal response to light. MAIN RESULTS The LNP model fit during the experiment enabled robust closed-loop control, resulting in good tracking of sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal targets, and rejection of unmeasured disturbances. Closed-loop control also enabled manipulation of trial-to-trial variability. SIGNIFICANCE Because neuroscientists are faced with the challenge of dissecting the functions of circuit components, the ability to maintain control of a region of interest in spite of changes in ongoing neural activity will be important for disambiguating function within networks. Closed-loop stimulation strategies are ideal for control that is robust to such changes, and the employment of continuous feedback to adjust stimulation in real-time can improve the quality of data collected using optogenetic manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Bolus
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States of America
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17
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The Sensorimotor Basis of Whisker-Guided Anteroposterior Object Localization in Head-Fixed Mice. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3029-3040.e4. [PMID: 31474537 PMCID: PMC6771421 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Active tactile perception combines directed motion with sensory signals to generate mental representations of objects in space. Competing models exist for how mice use these signals to determine the precise location of objects along their face. We tested six of these models using behavioral manipulations and statistical learning in head-fixed mice. Trained mice used a whisker to locate a pole in a continuous range of locations along the anteroposterior axis. Mice discriminated locations to ≤0.5 mm (<2°) resolution. Their motor program was noisy, adaptive to touch, and directed to the rewarded range. This exploration produced several sets of sensorimotor features that could discriminate location. Integration of two features, touch count and whisking midpoint at touch, was the simplest model that explained behavior best. These results show how mice locate objects at hyperacute resolution using a learned motor strategy and minimal set of mentally accessible sensorimotor features.
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18
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Laboy-Juárez KJ, Langberg T, Ahn S, Feldman DE. Elementary motion sequence detectors in whisker somatosensory cortex. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1438-1449. [PMID: 31332375 PMCID: PMC6713603 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0448-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
How somatosensory cortex (S1) encodes complex patterns of touch, as occur during tactile exploration, is poorly understood. In mouse whisker S1, temporally dense stimulation of local whisker pairs revealed that most neurons are not classical single-whisker feature detectors, but instead are strongly tuned to 2-whisker sequences involving the columnar whisker (CW) and one, specific surround whisker (SW), usually in SW-leading-CW order. Tuning was spatiotemporally precise and diverse across cells, generating a rate code for local motion vectors defined by SW-CW combinations. Spatially asymmetric, sublinear suppression for suboptimal combinations and near-linearity for preferred combinations sharpened combination tuning relative to linearly predicted tuning. This resembles computation of motion direction selectivity in vision. SW-tuned neurons, misplaced in the classical whisker map, had the strongest combination tuning. Thus, each S1 column contains a rate code for local motion sequences involving the CW, providing a basis for higher-order feature extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keven J Laboy-Juárez
- Deparment of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tomer Langberg
- Deparment of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Seoiyoung Ahn
- Deparment of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Daniel E Feldman
- Deparment of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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Severson KS, O'Connor DH. Active Sensing: The Rat's Nose Dances in Step with Whiskers, Head, and Breath. Curr Biol 2019; 27:R183-R185. [PMID: 28267973 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Active sampling of touch and smell involves coordinated movements first observed in the rat half a century ago. A new study has unveiled the elegant choreography of this facial and head motion during tactile and olfactory exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle S Severson
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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20
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Yang AET, Belli HM, Hartmann MJZ. Quantification of vibrissal mechanical properties across the rat mystacial pad. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:1879-1895. [PMID: 30811257 PMCID: PMC6589704 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00869.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work has quantified the geometric parameters of individual rat vibrissae (whiskers) and developed equations that describe how these parameters vary as a function of row and column position across the array. This characterization included a detailed quantification of whisker base diameter and arc length as well as the geometry of the whisker medulla. The present study now uses these equations for whisker geometry to quantify several properties of the whisker that govern its mechanical behavior. We first show that the average density of a whisker is lower in its proximal region than in its distal region. This density variation appears to be largely attributable to the presence of the whisker cuticle rather than the medulla. The density variation has very little effect on the center of mass of the whisker. We next show that the presence of the medulla decreases the deflection of the whisker under its own weight and also decreases its mass moment of inertia while sacrificing <1% stiffness at the whisker base compared with a solid whisker. Finally, we quantify two dimensionless parameters across the array. First, the deflection-to-length ratio decreases from caudal to rostral: caudal whiskers are longer but deflect more under their own weight. Second, the nondimensionalized radius of gyration is approximately constant across the array, which may simplify control of whisking by the intrinsic muscles. We anticipate that future work will exploit the mechanical properties computed in the present study to improve simulations of the mechanosensory signals associated with vibrissotactile exploratory behavior. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The mechanical signals transmitted by a whisker depend critically on its geometry. We used measurements of whisker geometry and mass to quantify the center of mass, mass moment of inertia, radius of gyration, and deflection under gravity of the whisker. We describe how variations in these quantities across the array could enhance sensing behaviors while reducing energy costs and simplifying whisking control. Most importantly, we provide derivations for these quantities for use in future simulation work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne En-Tzu Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois
| | - Hayley M Belli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois
| | - Mitra J Z Hartmann
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois
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21
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Toward the Bionic Face: A Novel Neuroprosthetic Device Paradigm for Facial Reanimation Consisting of Neural Blockade and Functional Electrical Stimulation. Plast Reconstr Surg 2019; 143:62e-76e. [PMID: 30589784 DOI: 10.1097/prs.0000000000005164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial palsy is a devastating condition potentially amenable to rehabilitation by functional electrical stimulation. Herein, a novel paradigm for unilateral facial reanimation using an implantable neuroprosthetic device is proposed and its feasibility demonstrated in a live rodent model. The paradigm comprises use of healthy-side electromyographic activity as control inputs to a system whose outputs are neural stimuli to effect symmetric facial displacements. The vexing issue of suppressing undesirable activity resulting from aberrant neural regeneration (synkinesis) or nerve transfer procedures is addressed using proximal neural blockade. METHODS Epimysial and nerve cuff electrode arrays were implanted in the faces of Wistar rats. Stimuli were delivered to evoke blinks and whisks of various durations and amplitudes. The dynamic relation between electromyographic signals and facial displacements was modeled, and model predictions were compared against measured displacements. Optimal parameters to achieve facial nerve blockade by means of high-frequency alternating current were determined, and the safety of continuous delivery was assessed. RESULTS Electrode implantation was well tolerated. Blinks and whisks of tunable amplitudes and durations were evoked by controlled variation of neural stimuli parameters. Facial displacements predicted from electromyographic input modelling matched those observed with a variance-accounted-for exceeding 96 percent. Effective and reversible facial nerve blockade in awake behaving animals was achieved, without detrimental effect noted from long-term continual use. CONCLUSIONS Proof-of-principle of rehabilitation of hemifacial palsy by means of a neuroprosthetic device has been demonstrated. The use of proximal neural blockade coupled with distal functional electrical stimulation may have relevance to rehabilitation of other peripheral motor nerve deficits.
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22
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Severson KS, Xu D, Yang H, O'Connor DH. Coding of whisker motion across the mouse face. eLife 2019; 8:41535. [PMID: 30816844 PMCID: PMC6395061 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Haptic perception synthesizes touch with proprioception, the sense of body position. Humans and mice alike experience rich active touch of the face. Because most facial muscles lack proprioceptor endings, the sensory basis of facial proprioception remains unsolved. Facial proprioception may instead rely on mechanoreceptors that encode both touch and self-motion. In rodents, whisker mechanoreceptors provide a signal that informs the brain about whisker position. Whisking involves coordinated orofacial movements, so mechanoreceptors innervating facial regions other than whiskers could also provide information about whisking. To define all sources of sensory information about whisking available to the brain, we recorded spikes from mechanoreceptors innervating diverse parts of the face. Whisker motion was encoded best by whisker mechanoreceptors, but also by those innervating whisker pad hairy skin and supraorbital vibrissae. Redundant self-motion responses may provide the brain with a stable proprioceptive signal despite mechanical perturbations during active touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle S Severson
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Duo Xu
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Hongdian Yang
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
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23
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Kaneshige M, Shibata KI, Matsubayashi J, Mitani A, Furuta T. A Descending Circuit Derived From the Superior Colliculus Modulates Vibrissal Movements. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:100. [PMID: 30524249 PMCID: PMC6262173 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is an essential structure for the control of eye movements. In rodents, the SC is also considered to play an important role in whisking behavior, in which animals actively move their vibrissae (mechanosensors) to gather tactile information about the space around them during exploration. We investigated how the SC contributes to vibrissal movement control. We found that when the SC was unilaterally lesioned, the resting position of the vibrissae shifted backward on the side contralateral to the lesion. The unilateral SC lesion also induced an increase in the whisking amplitude on the contralateral side. To explore the anatomical basis for SC involvement in vibrissal movement control, we then quantitatively evaluated axonal projections from the SC to the brainstem using neuronal labeling with a virus vector. Neurons of the SC mainly sent axons to the contralateral side in the lower brainstem. We found that the facial nucleus received input directly from the SC, and that the descending projections from the SC also reached the intermediate reticular formation and pre-Bötzinger complex, which are both considered to contain neural oscillators generating rhythmic movements of the vibrissae. Together, these results indicate the existence of a neural circuit in which the SC modulates vibrissal movements mainly on the contralateral side, via direct connections to motoneurons, and via indirect connections including the central pattern generators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miki Kaneshige
- Department of Morphological Brain Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Shibata
- Department of Morphological Brain Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jun Matsubayashi
- Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Akira Mitani
- Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takahiro Furuta
- Department of Morphological Brain Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,Department of Oral Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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24
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Caria MA, Biagi F, Mameli O. The mesencephalic-hypoglossal nuclei loop as a possible central pattern generator for rhythmical whisking in rats. Exp Brain Res 2018; 236:2899-2911. [PMID: 30073387 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-018-5347-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
It has been previously demonstrated that the Me5 nucleus is involved in the genesis of reflex activities at whisker pad level. Specific Me5 neurons, which provide sensory innervation of the macrovibrissae, are monosynaptically connected with small hypoglossal neurons innervating the extrinsic muscles that control macrovibrissal movements. Artificial whisking, induced by the electrical stimulation of the peripheral stump of the facial nerve and the electrical stimulation of the XII nucleus or the infraorbital nerve, induced evoked responses in the whisker pad extrinsic motor units, along with a significant increase in the electromyographic activity of the extrinsic pad muscles (Mameli et al. in Acta Oto-Laryngol 126:1334-1338, 2006; in Pfűgers Arch Eur J Physiol 456:1189-1198, 2008; in Brain Res 1283:34-40, 2009; in Exp Brain Res 234:753-761, 2016). In anaesthetized rats, we evaluated the possible involvement of this Me5-XII loop in the genesis of rhythmical whisking. The anatomical findings showed that in addition to the ipsilateral, even the contralateral Me5 nucleus could be retrogradely labeled by the Dil tracer injected into the whisker pad of one side, they, furthermore, showed labeled axons extending across the midline between the two nuclei. The electrophysiological findings agreed with the neuroanatomical results, since the mechanical or artificially induced deflection of the whiskers of one side, evoked in the Me5 contralateral nucleus different patterns of responses. The hypothesis that the Me5-XII loops, along with their cross-linked relationship, could act as a "central generator" responsible for the stereotyped symmetrical pattern of macrovibrissal movements such as rhythmical whisking has been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Alessandro Caria
- Human Physiology Division, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Francesca Biagi
- Anatomy of Domestic Animals Division, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Ombretta Mameli
- Human Physiology Division, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
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25
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Khazipov R, Milh M. Early patterns of activity in the developing cortex: Focus on the sensorimotor system. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 76:120-129. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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26
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Vaxenburg R, Wyche I, Svoboda K, Efros AL, Hires SA. Dynamic cues for whisker-based object localization: An analytical solution to vibration during active whisker touch. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006032. [PMID: 29584719 PMCID: PMC5889188 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Vibrations are important cues for tactile perception across species. Whisker-based sensation in mice is a powerful model system for investigating mechanisms of tactile perception. However, the role vibration plays in whisker-based sensation remains unsettled, in part due to difficulties in modeling the vibration of whiskers. Here, we develop an analytical approach to calculate the vibrations of whiskers striking objects. We use this approach to quantify vibration forces during active whisker touch at a range of locations along the whisker. The frequency and amplitude of vibrations evoked by contact are strongly dependent on the position of contact along the whisker. The magnitude of vibrational shear force and bending moment is comparable to quasi-static forces. The fundamental vibration frequencies are in a detectable range for mechanoreceptor properties and below the maximum spike rates of primary sensory afferents. These results suggest two dynamic cues exist that rodents can use for object localization: vibration frequency and comparison of vibrational to quasi-static force magnitude. These complement the use of quasi-static force angle as a distance cue, particularly for touches close to the follicle, where whiskers are stiff and force angles hardly change during touch. Our approach also provides a general solution to calculation of whisker vibrations in other sensing tasks. Vibrations play an important role in the sense of touch in many species, but exactly how they influence touch perception remains mysterious. An important reason for this mystery is the difficulty in measuring vibrations during touch. Mice are a powerful model system for investigating touch perception because they actively sweep their whiskers into objects and the resulting bending from touch can be video recorded. However, vibrations of the whiskers during touch are usually too small and fast to be seen. To overcome this limitation, we develop a new mathematical approach to calculating whisker vibrations from the speed at impact, maximum whisker bending during touch, and location of contact along a whisker, which is more easily observed. We find that vibration frequency and amplitude is strongly dependent on the location of contact along the whisker, which mice may use to deduce the distance between their face and touched objects. We confirm our calculations with high-speed imaging of whisker vibration during touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Vaxenburg
- Computational Materials Science Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Isis Wyche
- Section of Neurobiology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Alexander L. Efros
- Center for Computational Material Science, Code 6390, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Samuel Andrew Hires
- Section of Neurobiology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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27
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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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3D reconstruction and standardization of the rat facial nucleus for precise mapping of vibrissal motor networks. Neuroscience 2017; 368:171-186. [PMID: 28958919 PMCID: PMC5798596 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The rodent facial nucleus (FN) comprises motoneurons (MNs) that control the facial musculature. In the lateral part of the FN, populations of vibrissal motoneurons (vMNs) innervate two groups of muscles that generate movements of the whiskers. Vibrissal MNs thus represent the terminal point of the neuronal networks that generate rhythmic whisking during exploratory behaviors and that modify whisker movements based on sensory-motor feedback during tactile-based perception. Here, we combined retrograde tracer injections into whisker-specific muscles, with large-scale immunohistochemistry and digital reconstructions to generate an average model of the rat FN. The model incorporates measurements of the FN geometry, its cellular organization and a whisker row-specific map formed by vMNs. Furthermore, the model provides a digital 3D reference frame that allows registering structural data - obtained across scales and animals - into a common coordinate system with a precision of ∼60 µm. We illustrate the registration method by injecting replication competent rabies virus into the muscle of a single whisker. Retrograde transport of the virus to vMNs enabled reconstruction of their dendrites. Subsequent trans-synaptic transport enabled mapping the presynaptic neurons of the reconstructed vMNs. Registration of these data to the FN reference frame provides a first account of the morphological and synaptic input variability within a population of vMNs that innervate the same muscle.
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29
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Helmchen F, Gilad A, Chen JL. Neocortical dynamics during whisker-based sensory discrimination in head-restrained mice. Neuroscience 2017; 368:57-69. [PMID: 28919043 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental task frequently encountered by brains is to rapidly and reliably discriminate between sensory stimuli of the same modality, be it distinct auditory sounds, odors, visual patterns, or tactile textures. A key mammalian brain structure involved in discrimination behavior is the neocortex. Sensory processing not only involves the respective primary sensory area, which is crucial for perceptual detection, but additionally relies on cortico-cortical communication among several regions including higher-order sensory areas as well as frontal cortical areas. It remains elusive how these regions exchange information to process neural representations of distinct stimuli to bring about a decision and initiate appropriate behavioral responses. Likewise, it is poorly understood how these neural computations are conjured during task learning. In this review, we discuss recent studies investigating cortical dynamics during discrimination behaviors that utilize head-fixed behavioral tasks in combination with in vivo electrophysiology, two-photon calcium imaging, and cell-type-specific targeting. We particularly focus on information flow in distinct cortico-cortical pathways when mice use their whiskers to discriminate between different objects or different locations. Within the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices (S1 and S2, respectively) as well as vibrissae motor cortex (M1), intermingled functional representations of touch, whisking, and licking were found, which partially re-organized during discrimination learning. These findings provide first glimpses of cortico-cortical communication but emphasize that for understanding the complete process of discrimination it will be crucial to elucidate the details of how neural processing is coordinated across brain-wide neuronal networks including the S1-S2-M1 triangle and cortical areas beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fritjof Helmchen
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Ariel Gilad
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jerry L Chen
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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30
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Abstract
A fundamental question in the investigation of any sensory system is what physical signals drive its sensory neurons during natural behavior. Surprisingly, in the whisker system, it is only recently that answers to this question have emerged. Here, we review the key developments, focussing mainly on the first stage of the ascending pathway - the primary whisker afferents (PWAs). We first consider a biomechanical framework, which describes the fundamental mechanical forces acting on the whiskers during active sensation. We then discuss technical progress that has allowed such mechanical variables to be estimated in awake, behaving animals. We discuss past electrophysiological evidence concerning how PWAs function and reinterpret it within the biomechanical framework. Finally, we consider recent studies of PWAs in awake, behaving animals and compare the results to related studies of the cortex. We argue that understanding 'what the whiskers tell the brain' sheds valuable light on the computational functions of downstream neural circuits, in particular, the barrel cortex.
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31
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The Nature of the Sensory Input to the Neonatal Rat Barrel Cortex. J Neurosci 2017; 36:9922-32. [PMID: 27656029 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1781-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Sensory input plays critical roles in the development of the somatosensory cortex during the neonatal period. This early sensory input may involve: (1) stimulation arising from passive interactions with the mother and littermates and (2) sensory feedback arising from spontaneous infant movements. The relative contributions of these mechanisms under natural conditions remain largely unknown, however. Here, we show that, in the whisker-related barrel cortex of neonatal rats, spontaneous whisker movements and passive stimulation by the littermates cooperate, with comparable efficiency, in driving cortical activity. Both tactile signals arising from the littermate's movements under conditions simulating the littermates' position in the litter, and spontaneous whisker movements efficiently triggered bursts of activity in barrel cortex. Yet, whisker movements with touch were more efficient than free movements. Comparison of the various experimental conditions mimicking the natural environment showed that tactile signals arising from the whisker movements with touch and stimulation by the littermates, support: (1) a twofold higher level of cortical activity than in the isolated animal, and (2) a threefold higher level of activity than in the deafferented animal after the infraorbital nerve cut. Together, these results indicate that endogenous (self-generated movements) and exogenous (stimulation by the littermates) mechanisms cooperate in driving cortical activity in newborn rats and point to the importance of the environment in shaping cortical activity during the neonatal period. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sensory input plays critical roles in the development of the somatosensory cortex during the neonatal period. However, the origins of sensory input to the neonatal somatosensory cortex in the natural environment remain largely unknown. Here, we show that in the whisker-related barrel cortex of neonatal rats, spontaneous whisker movements and passive stimulation by the littermates cooperate, with comparable efficiency, in driving cortical activity during the critical developmental period.
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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: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [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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Carvell GE, Simons DJ. Effect of whisker geometry on contact force produced by vibrissae moving at different velocities. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:1637-1649. [PMID: 28659457 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00046.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats and mice are able to perform a variety of subtle tactile discriminations with their mystacial vibrissae. Increasingly, the design and interpretation of neurophysiological and behavioral studies are inspired by and linked to a more precise understanding of the detailed physical properties of the whiskers and their associated hair follicles. Here we used a piezoelectric sensor (bimorph) to examine how contact forces are influenced by the geometry of individual whisker hairs. For a given point along a whisker, bimorph signals are linearly related to whisker movement velocity. The slope of this linear function, called velocity sensitivity (VS), diminishes nonlinearly as whisker diameter decreases. Whiskers differ in overall length, thickness, and proximal-distal taper. Thus VS varies along an individual whisker and among different whiskers on the mystacial pad. Thinner, shorter whiskers, such as those located rostrally in rats and those in mice, have lower overall VSs, rendering them potentially less effective for mediating discriminations that rely on subtle velocity cues. The nonlinear effect of diameter combined with the linear effect of arc length produces radial distance tuning curves wherein small differences in the proximal-distal location of impacts yields larger differences in signal magnitude. Such position-dependent cues could contribute to the localization of objects near the face. Proximal-to-distal changes in contact location during whisking sweeps could also provide signals that aid texture discrimination.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study describes the geometry of facial whiskers distributed across the mystacial pad with emphasis on velocity encoding of object strikes. Findings indicate how the shapes, lengths, and thicknesses of individual hairs can contribute to sophisticated vibrissa-based tactile discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- George E Carvell
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and.,Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Daniel J Simons
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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34
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Haidarliu S, Bagdasarian K, Shinde N, Ahissar E. Muscular Basis of Whisker Torsion in Mice and Rats. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017. [PMID: 28622442 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Whisking mammals move their whiskers in the rostrocaudal and dorsoventral directions with simultaneous rolling about their long axes (torsion). Whereas muscular control of the first two types of whisker movement was already established, the anatomic muscular substrate of the whisker torsion remains unclear. Specifically, it was not clear whether torsion is induced by asymmetrical operation of known muscles or by other largely unknown muscles. Here, we report that mystacial pads of newborn and adult rats and mice contain oblique intrinsic muscles (OMs) that connect diagonally adjacent vibrissa follicles. Each of the OMs is supplied by a cluster of motor end plates. In rows A and B, OMs connect the ventral part of the rostral follicle with the dorsal part of the caudal follicle. In rows C-E, in contrast, OMs connect the dorsal part of the rostral follicle to the ventral part of the caudal follicle. This inverse architecture is consistent with previous behavioral observations [Knutsen et al.: Neuron 59 (2008) 35-42]. In newborn mice, torsion occurred in irregular single twitches. In adult anesthetized rats, microelectrode mediated electrical stimulation of an individual OM that is coupled with two adjacent whiskers was sufficient to induce a unidirectional torsion of both whiskers. Torsional movement was associated with protracting movement, indicating that in the vibrissal system, like in the ocular system, torsional movement is mechanically coupled to horizontal and vertical movements. This study shows that torsional whisker rotation is mediated by specific OMs whose morphology and attachment sites determine rotation direction and mechanical coupling, and motor innervation determines rotation dynamics. Anat Rec, 300:1643-1653, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Haidarliu
- Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Knarik Bagdasarian
- Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Namrata Shinde
- 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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35
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Rigosa J, Lucantonio A, Noselli G, Fassihi A, Zorzin E, Manzino F, Pulecchi F, Diamond ME. Dye-enhanced visualization of rat whiskers for behavioral studies. eLife 2017; 6:e25290. [PMID: 28613155 PMCID: PMC5511012 DOI: 10.7554/elife.25290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visualization and tracking of the facial whiskers is required in an increasing number of rodent studies. Although many approaches have been employed, only high-speed videography has proven adequate for measuring whisker motion and deformation during interaction with an object. However, whisker visualization and tracking is challenging for multiple reasons, primary among them the low contrast of the whisker against its background. Here, we demonstrate a fluorescent dye method suitable for visualization of one or more rat whiskers. The process makes the dyed whisker(s) easily visible against a dark background. The coloring does not influence the behavioral performance of rats trained on a vibrissal vibrotactile discrimination task, nor does it affect the whiskers' mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Rigosa
- International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
| | | | | | - Arash Fassihi
- International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
| | - Erik Zorzin
- International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
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36
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Luhmann HJ, Khazipov R. Neuronal activity patterns in the developing barrel cortex. Neuroscience 2017; 368:256-267. [PMID: 28528963 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The developing barrel cortex reveals a rich repertoire of neuronal activity patterns, which have been also found in other sensory neocortical areas and in other species including the somatosensory cortex of preterm human infants. The earliest stage is characterized by asynchronous, sparse single-cell firing at low frequencies. During the second stage neurons show correlated firing, which is initially mediated by electrical synapses and subsequently transforms into network bursts depending on chemical synapses. Activity patterns during this second stage are synchronous plateau assemblies, delta waves, spindle bursts and early gamma oscillations (EGOs). In newborn rodents spindle bursts and EGOs occur spontaneously or can be elicited by sensory stimulation and synchronize the activity in a barrel-related columnar network with topographic organization at the day of birth. Interfering with this early activity causes a disturbance in the development of the cortical architecture, indicating that spindle bursts and EGOs influence the formation of cortical columns. Early neuronal activity also controls the rate of programed cell death in the developing barrel cortex, suggesting that spindle bursts and EGOs are physiological activity patterns particularly suited to suppress apoptosis. It remains to be studied in more detail how these different neocortical activity patterns control early developmental processes such as formation of synapses, microcircuits, topographic maps and large-scale networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko J Luhmann
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128 Mainz, Germany.
| | - Rustem Khazipov
- INMED - INSERM, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille 13273, France; Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
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37
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Severson KS, Xu D, Van de Loo M, Bai L, Ginty DD, O'Connor DH. Active Touch and Self-Motion Encoding by Merkel Cell-Associated Afferents. Neuron 2017; 94:666-676.e9. [PMID: 28434802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.03.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Touch perception depends on integrating signals from multiple types of peripheral mechanoreceptors. Merkel-cell associated afferents are thought to play a major role in form perception by encoding surface features of touched objects. However, activity of Merkel afferents during active touch has not been directly measured. Here, we show that Merkel and unidentified slowly adapting afferents in the whisker system of behaving mice respond to both self-motion and active touch. Touch responses were dominated by sensitivity to bending moment (torque) at the base of the whisker and its rate of change and largely explained by a simple mechanical model. Self-motion responses encoded whisker position within a whisk cycle (phase), not absolute whisker angle, and arose from stresses reflecting whisker inertia and activity of specific muscles. Thus, Merkel afferents send to the brain multiplexed information about whisker position and surface features, suggesting that proprioception and touch converge at the earliest neural level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle S Severson
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Duo Xu
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Margaret Van de Loo
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ling Bai
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - David D Ginty
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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38
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Attiah MA, de Vries J, Richardson AG, Lucas TH. A Rodent Model of Dynamic Facial Reanimation Using Functional Electrical Stimulation. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:193. [PMID: 28424583 PMCID: PMC5380723 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial paralysis can be a devastating condition, causing disfiguring facial droop, slurred speech, eye dryness, scarring and blindness. This study investigated the utility of closed-loop functional electric stimulation (FES) for reanimating paralyzed facial muscles in a quantitative rodent model. The right buccal and marginal mandibular branches of the rat facial nerve were transected for selective, unilateral paralysis of whisker muscles. Microwire electrodes were implanted bilaterally into the facial musculature for FES and electromyographic (EMG) recording. With the rats awake and head-fixed, whisker trajectories were tracked bilaterally with optical micrometers. First, the relationship between EMG and volitional whisker movement was quantified on the intact side of the face. Second, the effect of FES on whisker trajectories was quantified on the paralyzed side. Third, closed-loop experiments were performed in which the EMG signal on the intact side triggered FES on the paralyzed side to restore symmetric whisking. The results demonstrate a novel in vivo platform for developing control strategies for neuromuscular facial prostheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Attiah
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | - Julius de Vries
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrew G Richardson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | - Timothy H Lucas
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, USA
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39
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Kurnikova A, Moore JD, Liao SM, Deschênes M, Kleinfeld D. Coordination of Orofacial Motor Actions into Exploratory Behavior by Rat. Curr Biol 2017; 27:688-696. [PMID: 28216320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Revised: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The delineation of sensorimotor circuits that guide exploration begins with an understanding of the pattern of motor outputs [1]. These motor patterns provide a clue to the form of the underlying circuits [2-4] (but see [5]). We focus on the behaviors that rodents use to explore their peripersonal space through goal-directed positioning of their nose, head, and vibrissae. Rodents sniff in response to novel odors, reward expectation, and as part of social interactions [6-12]. Sniffing serves olfaction [13, 14], while whisking synchronized to sniffing serves vibrissa-based touch [6, 15, 16]. We quantify the ethology of exploratory nose and head movements in relation to breathing. We find that sniffing is accompanied by prominent lateral and vertical deflections of the nose, i.e., twitches, which are driven by activation of the deflector nasi muscles [17]. On the timescale of individual breaths, nose motion is rhythmic and has a maximum deflection following the onset of inspiration. On a longer timescale, excursions of the nose persist for several breaths and are accompanied by an asymmetry in vibrissa positioning toward the same side of the face. Such directed deflections can be triggered by a lateralized source of odor. Lastly, bobbing of the head as the animal cranes and explores is phase-locked to sniffing and to movement of the nose. These data, along with prior results on the resetting of the whisk cycle at the onset of inspiration [15, 16, 18], reveal that the onset of each breath initiates a "snapshot" of the orofacial sensory environment. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Kurnikova
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Moore
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Song-Mao Liao
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Martin Deschênes
- Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Québec City, Québec G1J 2R3, 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.
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40
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinho Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - S Andrew Hires
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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41
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The Dilator Naris Muscle as a Reporter of Facial Nerve Regeneration in a Rat Model. Ann Plast Surg 2016; 76:94-8. [PMID: 25643189 DOI: 10.1097/sap.0000000000000273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Many investigators study facial nerve regeneration using the rat whisker pad model, although widely standardized outcomes measures of facial nerve regeneration in the rodent have not yet been developed. The intrinsic whisker pad "sling" muscles producing whisker protraction, situated at the base of each individual whisker, are extremely small and difficult to study en bloc. Here, we compare the functional innervation of 2 potential reporter muscles for whisker pad innervation: the dilator naris (DN) and the levator labii superioris (LLS), to characterize facial nerve regeneration. METHODS Motor supply of the DN and LLS was elucidated by measuring contraction force and compound muscle action potentials during stimulation of individual facial nerve branches, and by measuring whisking amplitude before and after DN distal tendon release. RESULTS The pattern of DN innervation matched that of the intrinsic whisker pad musculature (ie, via the buccal and marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerve), whereas the LLS seemed to be innervated almost entirely by the zygomatic branch, whose primary target is the orbicularis oculi muscle. CONCLUSIONS Although the LLS has been commonly used as a reporter muscle of whisker pad innervation, the present data show that its innervation pattern does not overlap substantially with the muscles producing whisker protraction. The DN muscle may serve as a more appropriate reporter for whisker pad innervation because it is innervated by the same facial nerve branches as the intrinsic whisker pad musculature, making structure/function correlations more accurate, and more relevant to investigators studying facial nerve regeneration.
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Dorschner B, Süße H, Ortmann W, Irintchev A, Denzler J, Guntinas-Lichius O. An automated whisker tracking tool for the rat facial nerve injury paradigm. J Neurosci Methods 2016; 271:143-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Hobbs JA, Towal RB, Hartmann MJZ. Probability distributions of whisker-surface contact: quantifying elements of the rat vibrissotactile natural scene. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 218:2551-62. [PMID: 26290591 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.116186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of natural scene statistics has been a powerful approach for understanding neural coding in the auditory and visual systems. In the field of somatosensation, it has been more challenging to quantify the natural tactile scene, in part because somatosensory signals are so tightly linked to the animal's movements. The present work takes a step towards quantifying the natural tactile scene for the rat vibrissal system by simulating rat whisking motions to systematically investigate the probabilities of whisker-object contact in naturalistic environments. The simulations permit an exhaustive search through the complete space of possible contact patterns, thereby allowing for the characterization of the patterns that would most likely occur during long sequences of natural exploratory behavior. We specifically quantified the probabilities of 'concomitant contact', that is, given that a particular whisker makes contact with a surface during a whisk, what is the probability that each of the other whiskers will also make contact with the surface during that whisk? Probabilities of concomitant contact were quantified in simulations that assumed increasingly naturalistic conditions: first, the space of all possible head poses; second, the space of behaviorally preferred head poses as measured experimentally; and third, common head poses in environments such as cages and burrows. As environments became more naturalistic, the probability distributions shifted from exhibiting a 'row-wise' structure to a more diagonal structure. Results also reveal that the rat appears to use motor strategies (e.g. head pitches) that generate contact patterns that are particularly well suited to extract information in the presence of uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Hobbs
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - R Blythe Towal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Mitra J Z Hartmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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Yang AET, Hartmann MJZ. Whisking Kinematics Enables Object Localization in Head-Centered Coordinates Based on Tactile Information from a Single Vibrissa. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:145. [PMID: 27486390 PMCID: PMC4949211 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During active tactile exploration with their whiskers (vibrissae), rodents can rapidly orient to an object even though there are very few proprioceptors in the whisker muscles. Thus a long-standing question in the study of the vibrissal system is how the rat can localize an object in head-centered coordinates without muscle-based proprioception. We used a three-dimensional model of whisker bending to simulate whisking motions against a peg to investigate the possibility that the 3D mechanics of contact from a single whisker are sufficient for localization in head-centered coordinates. Results show that for nearly all whiskers in the array, purely tactile signals at the whisker base - as would be measured by mechanoreceptors, in whisker-centered coordinates - could be used to determine the location of a vertical peg in head-centered coordinates. Both the "roll" and the "elevation" components of whisking kinematics contribute to the uniqueness and resolution of the localization. These results offer an explanation for a behavioral study showing that rats can more accurately determine the horizontal angle of an object if one column, rather than one row, of whiskers is spared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E T Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
| | - Mitra J Z Hartmann
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, EvanstonIL, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, EvanstonIL, USA
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45
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Park S, Bandi A, Lee CR, Margolis DJ. Peripheral optogenetic stimulation induces whisker movement and sensory perception in head-fixed mice. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27269285 PMCID: PMC4940159 DOI: 10.7554/elife.14140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We discovered that optical stimulation of the mystacial pad in Emx1-Cre;Ai27D transgenic mice induces whisker movements due to activation of ChR2 expressed in muscles controlling retraction and protraction. Using high-speed videography in anesthetized mice, we characterize the amplitude of whisker protractions evoked by varying the intensity, duration, and frequency of optogenetic stimulation. Recordings from primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in anesthetized mice indicated that optogenetic whisker pad stimulation evokes robust yet longer latency responses than mechanical whisker stimulation. In head-fixed mice trained to report optogenetic whisker pad stimulation, psychometric curves showed similar dependence on stimulus duration as evoked whisker movements and S1 activity. Furthermore, optogenetic stimulation of S1 in expert mice was sufficient to substitute for peripheral stimulation. We conclude that whisker protractions evoked by optogenetic activation of whisker pad muscles results in cortical activity and sensory perception, consistent with the coding of evoked whisker movements by reafferent sensory input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunmee Park
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Akhil Bandi
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Christian R Lee
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - David J Margolis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
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Hires SA, Schuyler A, Sy J, Huang V, Wyche I, Wang X, Golomb D. Beyond cones: an improved model of whisker bending based on measured mechanics and tapering. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:812-24. [PMID: 27250911 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00511.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The sense of touch is represented by neural activity patterns evoked by mechanosensory input forces. The rodent whisker system is exceptional for studying the neurophysiology of touch in part because these forces can be precisely computed from video of whisker deformation. We evaluate the accuracy of a standard model of whisker bending, which assumes quasi-static dynamics and a linearly tapered conical profile, using controlled whisker deflections. We find significant discrepancies between model and experiment: real whiskers bend more than predicted upon contact at locations in the middle of the whisker and less at distal locations. Thus whiskers behave as if their stiffness near the base and near the tip is larger than expected for a homogeneous cone. We assess whether contact direction, friction, inhomogeneous elasticity, whisker orientation, or nonconical shape could explain these deviations. We show that a thin-middle taper of mouse whisker shape accounts for the majority of this behavior. This taper is conserved across rows and columns of the whisker array. The taper has a large effect on the touch-evoked forces and the ease with which whiskers slip past objects, which are key drivers of neural activity in tactile object localization and identification. This holds for orientations with intrinsic whisker curvature pointed toward, away from, or down from objects, validating two-dimensional models of simple whisker-object interactions. The precision of computational models relating sensory input forces to neural activity patterns can be quantitatively enhanced by taking thin-middle taper into account with a simple corrective function that we provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Andrew Hires
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California;
| | - Adam Schuyler
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jonathan Sy
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Vincent Huang
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Isis Wyche
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Xiyue Wang
- Neurobiology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - David Golomb
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia; and Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Department of Physics, and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Be'er-Sheva, Israel
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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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Circuits in the Ventral Medulla That Phase-Lock Motoneurons for Coordinated Sniffing and Whisking. Neural Plast 2016; 2016:7493048. [PMID: 27293905 PMCID: PMC4887653 DOI: 10.1155/2016/7493048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The exploratory behavior of rodents is characterized by stereotypical movements of the vibrissae, nose, and head, which are phase locked with rapid respiration, that is, sniffing. Here we review the brainstem circuitry that coordinates these actions and propose that respiration may act as a master clock for binding orofacial inputs across different sensory modalities.
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49
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Deschênes M, Takatoh J, Kurnikova A, Moore JD, Demers M, Elbaz M, Furuta T, Wang F, Kleinfeld D. Inhibition, Not Excitation, Drives Rhythmic Whisking. Neuron 2016; 90:374-87. [PMID: 27041498 PMCID: PMC4929009 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2015] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sniffing and whisking typify the exploratory behavior of rodents. These actions involve separate oscillators in the medulla, located respectively in the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC) and the vibrissa-related region of the intermediate reticular formation (vIRt). We examine how these oscillators synergize to control sniffing and whisking. We find that the vIRt contains glycinergic/GABAergic cells that rhythmically inhibit vibrissa facial motoneurons. As a basis for the entrainment of whisking by breathing, but not vice versa, we provide evidence for unidirectional connections from the preBötC to the vIRt. The preBötC further contributes to the control of the mystacial pad. Lastly, we show that bilateral synchrony of whisking relies on the respiratory rhythm, consistent with commissural connections between preBötC cells. These data yield a putative circuit in which the preBötC acts as a master clock for the synchronization of vibrissa, pad, and snout movements, as well as for the bilateral synchronization of whisking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Deschênes
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1J 2R3, Canada.
| | - Jun Takatoh
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Anastasia Kurnikova
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Moore
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Maxime Demers
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1J 2R3, Canada
| | - Michael Elbaz
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1J 2R3, Canada
| | - Takahiro Furuta
- Department of Morphological Brain Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - 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
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50
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Hobbs JA, Towal RB, Hartmann MJZ. Evidence for Functional Groupings of Vibrissae across the Rodent Mystacial Pad. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1004109. [PMID: 26745501 PMCID: PMC4706419 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
During natural exploration, rats exhibit two particularly conspicuous vibrissal-mediated behaviors: they follow along walls, and “dab” their snouts on the ground at frequencies related to the whisking cycle. In general, the walls and ground may be located at any distance from, and at any orientation relative to, the rat’s head, which raises the question of how the rat might determine the position and orientation of these surfaces. Previous studies have compellingly demonstrated that rats can accurately determine the horizontal angle at which a vibrissa first touches an object, and we therefore asked whether this parameter could provide the rat with information about the pitch, distance, and yaw of a surface relative to its head. We used a three-dimensional model of the whisker array to construct mappings between the horizontal angle of contact of each vibrissa and every possible (pitch, distance, and yaw) configuration of the head relative to a flat surface. The mappings revealed striking differences in the patterns of contact for vibrissae in different regions of the array. The exterior (A, D, E) rows provide information about the relative pitch of the surface regardless of distance. The interior (B, C) rows provide distance cues regardless of head pitch. Yaw is linearly correlated with the difference between the number of right and left whiskers touching the surface. Compared to the long reaches that whiskers can make to the side and below the rat, the reachable distance in front of the rat’s nose is relatively small. We confirmed key predictions of these functional groupings in a behavioral experiment that monitored the contact patterns that the vibrissae made with a flat vertical surface. These results suggest that vibrissae in different regions of the array are not interchangeable sensors, but rather functionally grouped to acquire particular types of information about the environment. Animals do not passively sense the world. They actively move their sensors to acquire the information best suited to their current behavioral needs. Thus, to study neural processing in any sensory system, it is critical to determine the spatiotemporal structure of the inputs to that system. The rat whisker system is a well-studied model of active sensing because rats rhythmically brush and tap their vibrissae against objects during tactual exploration. To date, however, the patterns of sensory input during vibrisso-tactile exploration have not been quantified. This study quantifies some of the statistics of vibrissal-surface contact, focusing specifically on the angle of contact with a flat surface. Given that during exploration the rat could encounter a surface at any position and orientation relative to its head, we simulated the spatial patterns of vibrissal contact for all possible head-surface configurations. Results reveal functional groupings of whiskers across the array, with different whiskers being better suited for different aspects of tactile sensory tasks than others. Key predictions of the simulations were validated in a behavioral experiment that monitored vibrissal contact patterns with a flat wall. These results provide some of the first quantitative insights into the “natural tactile scene” for the vibrisso-trigeminal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Hobbs
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - R. Blythe Towal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Mitra J. Z. Hartmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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