Mechanical Signals and Trigeminal Ganglion Neuron Responses During Whisking

搅拌过程中的机械信号和三叉神经节神经元反应

• 批准号: 9310414
• 负责人: Hayley Michelle Belli
• 金额: $ 1.02万
• 依托单位: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-07-01 至 2017-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9310414
• 关键词: Afferent Pathways; Air; Animals; Behavior; Brain; Code; Data; Dimensions; Environment; Frequencies; Future; Joints; Length; Mechanics; Mechanoreceptors; Modeling; Modulus; Motion; Motor; Neurologic; Neurons; Neurosciences; Outcome; Output; Pathway interactions; Pattern; Perception; Periodicity; Phase; Physics; Play; Positioning Attribute; Process; Property; Radial; Rattus; Role; Sensory; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Somatosensory Cortex; Statistical Models; Structure of trigeminal ganglion; Study models; Tactile; Testing; Thalamic structure; Time; Trigeminal Nuclei; Trigeminal System; Vibrissae; Work; awake; base; density; experimental study; insight; kinematics; neural correlate; neurotransmission; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; response; sensor; simulation; success; three-dimensional modeling

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The rat vibrissal-trigeminal system is an important model in the field of neuroscience for analyzing the relationship between sensory and motor signals and how the brain integrates this information to enable perception. Recent studies have explored the relationship between the neural signals recorded from the trigeminal ganglion (Vg) and kinematic variables (i.e., position, velocity, and phase) during both contact and non-contact (free-air) whisking. Although there is some evidence for correlation between the Vg responses and kinematic variables during contact whisking, the relationship during non-contact whisking is far less convincing. The objective of this proposal is to search for correlations between Vg responses in awake, behaving rats and mechanical variables (i.e., forces and moments) produced at the base of the whisker by vibrissal deflections during non-contact whisking. Our hypothesis is that the responses of Vg neurons during non-contact whisking are most directly correlated with mechanical variables at the whisker base generated by the inertial properties of the whisker deflecting in free-air. The alternative is that the neural responses are most directly correlated with geometric variables at the whisker base, but dominated by stochasticity. Testing this hypothesis will be achieved through three aims: In Aim 1, I will experimentally quantify density and damping as functions of whisker arc length to correctly estimate the dynamic parameters of vibrissae. For Aim 2, I will use the results generated in Aim 1 to construct a three-dimensional model of whisker dynamics. In this aim, I will also experimentally validate the spring and damping coefficients of the 3D model via dynamic whisking simulations. Finally in Aim 3, I will use the 3D dynamic model created in Aim 2 to correlate the responses of neurons in the trigeminal ganglion in awake, behaving rats with the mechanical and geometric variables produced at the base of the whisker during non-contact deflections. The final outcome of the proposed work has significance for understanding neurological coding of sensory information, especially within the trigeminal system, and will provide a 3D dynamic model for simulating both non-contact and contact whisking in future studies that relate neural signals along the trigeminal pathway to their mechanical output at the whisker base.

 描述（由申请人提供）：大鼠触须-三叉神经系统是神经科学领域中用于分析感觉和运动信号之间的关系以及大脑如何整合该信息以实现感知的重要模型。最近的研究已经探索了从三叉神经节（Vg）记录的神经信号与运动学变量（即，位置、速度和相位）。虽然有一些证据的Vg响应和运动学变量之间的相关性，在接触搅拌，非接触搅拌的关系是令人信服的。该提议的目的是寻找清醒的行为大鼠的Vg反应与机械变量（即，力和力矩）在非接触搅拌期间由触须偏转在晶须基部产生。我们的假设是，Vg神经元在非接触式搅拌的反应是最直接相关的机械变量在晶须基地所产生的惯性属性的晶须偏转在自由空气中。另一种选择是，神经反应是最直接相关的几何变量在晶须基地，但占主导地位的随机性。测试这一假设将实现通过三个目标：在目标1中，我将实验量化的晶须弧长的函数的密度和阻尼，以正确地估计触须的动态参数。对于目标2，我将使用目标1中生成的结果来构建晶须动力学的三维模型。为此，我还将通过动态搅拌模拟实验验证3D模型的弹簧和阻尼系数。最后，在目标3中，我将使用目标2中创建的3D动态模型，将清醒行为大鼠三叉神经节中神经元的反应与非接触偏转期间在胡须基部产生的机械和几何变量相关联。拟议的工作的最终结果具有重要意义的神经编码的感觉信息，特别是在三叉神经系统，并将提供一个三维动态模型，用于模拟非接触和接触搅拌在未来的研究，涉及神经信号沿着三叉神经通路，他们的机械输出在晶须基地。