Mathematical Sciences: Mathematical Modeling in Somatosensory Physiology

一个长期的目标是发展一个定量的理解 机械到电的转换 系统 本研究建议的模型系统是 受体Pacinian小体，主要是因为它是最 广泛研究的皮肤受体。 帕西尼小体是一种 包裹在皮肤和其他组织中的神经末梢。 中 以前的研究是一个胶囊模型，用于将应变传递到 形成受体膜。 建议的目标 研究是：（一）扩大胶囊模型，使其更 解剖学上的现实;（ii）开发受体膜模型 涉及应变敏感的传导电流模型， 电导，这是已知的细胞质延伸的原因， 并且通过应变耦合到胶囊模型 （iii）启动皮肤模型的开发 （iv）分析检查溶液行为， 广义电缆模型开发的受体的 膜的 这项研究是与M.H.霍姆斯， 生物力学建模专家，和S。小博拉诺夫斯基，一 帕西尼小体的首席实验家 方面 研究应该有助于分析其他机械感受器。 触觉系统并不好 与视觉和听觉系统相比， 知识的缺乏阻碍了人工智能的发展， 触觉系统，可以非常有用的开发 为老年人和残疾儿童设计的假肢， 在机器人技术上的应用 其中一个有意义的部分是 了解各种皮肤受体的工作原理。 信息 从受体的研究中提取出来， 触觉系统的集成模型将在未来开发 问题研究 开发定量模型的另一个目标是 触摸感测系统的各个方面是测试各种 无法获得的关于触觉处理的假设 实验性的 建模方法应建议新的 生理实验来尝试。

A long term goal is to develop a quantitative understanding of mechanical-to-electrical transduction in the somatosensory system. The model system proposed for this research proposal is the receptor Pacinian corpuscle, mainly because it is the most extensively studied skin receptor. The Pacinian corpuscle is an encapsulated nerve ending in the skin and other tissues. In a previous study a capsule model for the transmission of strain to the receptor membrane was developed. The aims of the proposed research are to: (i) extend the capsule model to make it more anatomically realistic; (ii) develop a receptor membrane model involving a transduction current model of a strain-sensitive conductance, which accounts for the known cytoplasmic extensions, and which is coupled to the capsule model through a strain variable; (iii) initiate development of a model for the skin with receptors; (iv) examine solution behavior analytically of the generalized cable model developed for the receptor's membrane. The research is in collaboration with M.H. Holmes, an expert in biomechanical modeling, and S. Bolanowski, Jr., a leading experimentalist in Pacinian corpuscles. Aspects of the research should be useful in analyzing other mechanoreceptors. The sense-of-touch, or tactile, system is not well understood in comparison to the vision and auditory systems, and that lack of knowledge hinders the development of artificial sense-of-touch systems that can be immensely useful in developing prosthetic devises for the old and handicapped young, as well as more obvious uses in robotics. A meaningful part of this is to understand how various skin receptors work. Information extracted out of studies of receptors will be used in an integrated model of the tactile system to be developed in future studies. Another goal in developing quantitative models of various aspects of the sense-of-touch system is to test various hypotheses about tactile processing that cannot be obtained experimentally. The modeling approach should suggest new physiological experiments to try.