A laser-supported lowerable surface setup to study the role of ground contact during stepping
A laser-supported lowerable surface setup to study the role of ground contact during stepping
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.03.024
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发表时间：
2013-05-15
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Gruhn, Matthias
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Berendes, Volker;Duebbert, Michael;Gruhn, Matthias
我们引入了激光支持的装置，使用可移动的地面平台来研究传入输入对步行过程中肌肉激活的影响。这种方法可以研究昆虫（例如竹节虫）的站立阶段肌肉的活动是否以及如何响应缺失的地面接触信号。行走表面由固定部分和可降低部分组成，在行走过程中的任何时间点都可以将其降低到低于先前地面水平的规定水平。因此，所调查的腿要么发现地面较低，要么根本没有地面支撑。可降低的行走表面由 49 毫米 x 34 毫米的不锈钢表面组成，光滑并配备用于跗骨接触监测，类似于 Gruhn 及其同事描述的系统（Gruhn 等人，2006）。设置控制器允许气动降低表面，并随后借助薄薄的激光和相应的检测器检测跗骨进入先前的地面水平。在这里，我们描述了新装置的基本特性，并展示了首次实验的结果，以证明其在小动物行走过程中的感觉和中枢影响研究中的用途。在实验中，我们比较了地面支撑（“控制”）与进入洞中（SiH）、较低表面水平的地面支撑或跗骨截肢对竹节虫胫骨屈肌肌电图活动起始的影响。 (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. 保留所有权利。
We introduce a laser-supported setup to study the influence of afferent input on muscle activation during walking, using a movable ground platform. This approach allows investigating if and how the activity of stance phase muscles of an insect (e.g. stick insect) responds to a missing ground contact signal. The walking surface consists of a fixed and a lowerable part, which can be lowered to defined levels below the previous ground level at any time point during a walking sequence. As a consequence, the leg under investigation finds either a lower ground level or no ground support at all. The lowerable walking surface consists of a 49 mm x 34 mm stainless steel surface, made slippery and equipped for tarsal contact monitoring, similar to the system that was described by Gruhn and colleagues (Gruhn et al., 2006). The setup controller allows pneumatic lowering of the surface and subsequent detection of tarsal entry into the previous ground level with the help of a thin sheet of laser light and a corresponding detector. Here, we describe basic properties of the new setup and show the results of first experiments to demonstrate its use for the study of sensory and central influences in stepping of a small animal. In the experiments, we compare the effect of ground-support ("control") with either steps into the hole (SiH), ground support at a lower surface level, or the amputation of the tarsus on the onset of EMG activity in the flexor tibiae muscle of the stick insect. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.