The morphology of the rat vibrissal array: a model for quantifying spatiotemporal patterns of whisker-object contact.
The morphology of the rat vibrissal array: a model for quantifying spatiotemporal patterns of whisker-object contact.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1001120
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发表时间：
2011-04
影响因子：
4.3
通讯作者：
Hartmann MJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Towal RB;Quist BW;Gopal V;Solomon JH;Hartmann MJ
在所有感觉形式中，神经系统获取的数据由生物力学、材料特性和外围感觉器官的形态决定。大鼠触觉(胡须)系统是神经科学中研究传感器阵列的物理体现与感知的神经回路之间关系的主要模型之一。然而，到目前为止，振动阵列的三维形态还没有被表征。量化阵列形态很重要，因为它直接约束在行为过程中将产生的机械感觉输入。这些输入反过来塑造了三叉神经节到初级躯体感觉(“桶”)皮层的所有随后的三叉神经系统的神经处理。在这里，我们建立了一组振动阵列的形态方程，精确地描述了每个晶须上每个点的位置，精确到晶须长度的±5%以内。只要给定晶须的身份(阵列中的行和列位置)，这些方程就可以确定晶须的二维(2D)形状以及三维(3D)位置和方向。这些方程是通过对六个大鼠振动阵列的2D和3D扫描进行参数化而建立的，并且参数是专门选择的，以便与行为研究中通常测量的参数保持一致。最终的形态模型被用来模拟老鼠使用胡须实际探索具有不同曲率的物体时产生的接触模式。仿真表明，改变阵列的形态会改变采集到的感知信号与物体曲率之间的关系。因此，振动阵列的形态直接限制了可以与提取特定对象特征相关联的神经计算的性质。这些结果说明了传感器阵列的物理体现在传感过程中所起的关键作用。动物移动是为了感知世界。因此，感觉是一个活跃的过程，受到肌肉生物力学和感觉器官的材料、形状和结构的限制。大鼠的振动系统提供了一个理想的模型来研究感觉阵列的物理体现是如何塑造感知过程的。老鼠面部两侧大约有30根大触须(胡须)排列成行和列。他们在物体上刷胡须，以实际提取物体特征。然而，到目前为止，晶须阵列的三维形状还没有得到表征。我们扫描了六只大鼠，建立了胡须阵列的完整结构方程。只要给定晶须的行和列的一致性，这些方程就可以确定晶须的二维形状和三维位置和方向。我们使用这个基于方程的模型来模拟当老鼠使用它的胡须实际探索具有不同曲率的物体时，将产生的胡须与物体的接触模式。改变阵列的形状极大地改变了模拟的感觉输入和物体曲率之间的关系。因此，晶须阵列的结构直接限制时空输入模式，从而限制与提取特定对象特征相关联的神经处理的性质。
In all sensory modalities, the data acquired by the nervous system is shaped by the biomechanics, material properties, and the morphology of the peripheral sensory organs. The rat vibrissal (whisker) system is one of the premier models in neuroscience to study the relationship between physical embodiment of the sensor array and the neural circuits underlying perception. To date, however, the three-dimensional morphology of the vibrissal array has not been characterized. Quantifying array morphology is important because it directly constrains the mechanosensory inputs that will be generated during behavior. These inputs in turn shape all subsequent neural processing in the vibrissal-trigeminal system, from the trigeminal ganglion to primary somatosensory (“barrel”) cortex. Here we develop a set of equations for the morphology of the vibrissal array that accurately describes the location of every point on every whisker to within ±5% of the whisker length. Given only a whisker's identity (row and column location within the array), the equations establish the whisker's two-dimensional (2D) shape as well as three-dimensional (3D) position and orientation. The equations were developed via parameterization of 2D and 3D scans of six rat vibrissal arrays, and the parameters were specifically chosen to be consistent with those commonly measured in behavioral studies. The final morphological model was used to simulate the contact patterns that would be generated as a rat uses its whiskers to tactually explore objects with varying curvatures. The simulations demonstrate that altering the morphology of the array changes the relationship between the sensory signals acquired and the curvature of the object. The morphology of the vibrissal array thus directly constrains the nature of the neural computations that can be associated with extraction of a particular object feature. These results illustrate the key role that the physical embodiment of the sensor array plays in the sensing process. Animals move in order to sense the world. Sensing is thus an active process, constrained by muscle biomechanics and by the material, shape, and structure of the sensing organs. The rat vibrissal system provides an ideal model to examine how the physical embodiment of a sensory array shapes the sensing process. Rats have approximately thirty macrovibrissae (whiskers) arranged in rows and columns on each side of their face. They brush their whiskers against objects to tactually extract object features. To date, however, the three-dimensional shape of the whisker array has not been characterized. We scanned six rats to develop equations for the complete structure of the whisker array. Given only a whisker's row and column identity, the equations establish the whisker's two-dimensional shape and three-dimensional position and orientation. We used this equation-based model to simulate the whisker-object contact patterns that would be generated as a rat uses its whiskers to tactually explore objects with varying curvatures. Altering the shape of the array dramatically altered the relationship between the simulated sensory input and object curvature. The structure of the whisker array thus directly constrains spatiotemporal input patterns and thereby, the nature of the neural processing associated with extraction of particular object features.
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影响因子：
1.5
作者：
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