Neuronal Control and Biomechanics of a Hydrodynamic Skeleton

这个建议试图解释水蛭蛭（Hirudo medicinalis）身体的运动，根据它的肌肉产生的力量以及这些肌肉在体壁上的排列。除了移动动物外，这些肌肉还产生一种坚硬的管状结构，构成“流体静力骨架”。对于这样的骨架，目前还没有一个通用的理论，可以让我们根据运动神经元的活动模式来预测动物身体的形状。因此，本提案的目标是使用实验测量和数值模拟相结合的方法来获得一般的流体静力骨架，特别是水蛭的定量描述。本研究将分三步进行：1。用生物力学术语描述水蛭运动。将确定节段体积、肌肉张力、肌肉的几何关系、内部压力和流体流动。2. 建立水动力骨架的分析模型。目前最好的模型将被扩展，以产生更真实的身体形式，使用上面得到的物理测量。3. 通过比较其性能和行为来改进模型。在产生更简单的行为（弯曲和缩短）期间的测量将用于确定参数，这些参数将通过模型产生更全局行为（游泳和缩短）的能力进行测试。这样的模型也适用于其他的水骨架

This proposal seeks to explain movements of the body of the leech, Hirudo medicinalis, in terms of the forces generated by its muscles and by the arrangement of these muscles in the body wall. In addition to moving the animal, these muscles also produce a stiff tube which constitutes a "hydrostatic skeleton". There is no general theory for such a skeleton that would allow us to predict the shape of the animal's body from the activity pattern of its motor neurons. Therefore, the goal of this proposal is to use a combination of experimental measurements and numerical simulations to derive a quantitative description of hydrostatic skeletons in general and of the leech in particular. This study will proceed in three steps: 1. Describing leech movements in biomechanical terms. Segmental volumes, muscular tensions, geometric relationships of the muscles, internal pressures, and fluid flows will be determined. 2. Developing an analytical model of hydrodynamic skeletons. The current best model will be expanded to produce more realistic body forms, using the physical measurements obtained above. 3. Refining the model by comparing its performance to behaviors. Measurements during the production of simpler behaviors (bending and shortening) will be used to determine parameters which will tested by the model's ability to produce the more global behaviors (swimming and shortening). Such a model should be applicable to other hydroskeletons as well.***