RUI: Sensorimotor Transformations in the Withdrawal Reflex

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Sensorimotor Transformations in the Withdrawal ReflexThe goal of this project is to understand how the location of a sensory stimulus relates to the direction of reflex movement that it evokes in the tail withdrawal reflex of the rat. Previous studies have suggested the movement is directed away from the stimulus, while others propose that the response is relatively independent of the location of sensory stimulus. Brief, pinpoint stimuli will be delivered to different parts of the rat tail and the direction and magnitude of the reflex withdrawal response will be recorded using force transducers. Multiple stimuli will also be delivered to determine how the central processing of the two responses interacts. These studies will greatly enhance training of undergraduates and future faculty by establishing a Teacher Scholar Fellowship opportunity. The actual results of these studies will allow evaluation of the two alternative hypotheses described above and more generally provide information on how the central nervous system processes sensory information. This information may be important for better designing artificial robot systems to avoid disturbances and understanding the basic rules by which the nervous system transforms sensory information.