Dynamics of sensory processing: from single neurons to behaviour

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Imagine the different sensations you perceive as you first touch a rough surface with a motionless fingertip, and then with back-and-forth movements at various speeds. These changes in perception can tell us about the dynamic properties of touch receptors in the skin, as well as those of the brain networks involved in somatosensory information processing. Such "active sensing" is used by a variety of sensory systems. Yet, in general, we know little about how movement of a sensory structure (like your finger tip or your eye) is coordinated with the dynamics of neural processing to optimize the acquisition of sensory information. My research focuses on active sensing and neural dynamics in the weakly electric knifefish. These fish are experts in sensory processing. They detect objects in their surroundings by monitoring minute changes in their self-generated electric field, despite high levels of natural interference, or noise. To do this, they probe their environment with stereotyped back-and-forth swimming movements, thus directly influencing the electrosensory signals encoded by the specialized electroreceptors on their skin. This proposal focuses on the role of motion in object detection and localization using electrosensory cues. Our approach is two-pronged, combining behavioural analyses and single neuron electrophysiology, in a multi-disciplinary setting. We will develop a novel system to create virtual electrosensory landscapes for testing object detection in behavioural studies. And we will use our recently developed neuron-computer interface to determine how network interactions influence motion processing by single neurons. The multidisciplinary training ground resulting from these diverse approaches will be ideal for students at all levels, preparing them for a range of careers in biotechnology and high-technology, as well as in academia.