JN Ad Instruments
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Neurophysiol (April 24, 2008). doi:10.1152/jn.01295.2007
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental Video and Other Materials
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
100/2/740    most recent
01295.2007v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Towal, R. B.
Right arrow Articles by Hartmann, M. J.Z.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Towal, R. B.
Right arrow Articles by Hartmann, M. J.Z.
Submitted on November 28, 2007
Accepted on April 21, 2008

Variability in velocity profiles during free air whisking behavior of unrestrained rats

R. Blythe Towal1 and Mitra J.Z. Hartmann1*

1 Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: m-hartmann{at}northwestern.edu.

During exploratory behaviors, the velocity of an organism's sensory surfaces can have a large effect on the incoming flow of sensory information. In this study, we quantified variability in the velocity profiles of rat whisking during natural exploratory behavior that included head rotations. A wide continuum of profiles was observed, including monotonic, delayed, and reversing velocities during protractions and retractions. Three alternative hypotheses for the function of the variable velocity profiles were tested: (1) that they produce bilateral asymmetry specifically correlated with rotational head velocity, (2) that they serve to generate bilaterally asymmetric and/or asynchronous whisker movements independent of head velocity, and (3) that the different pump types - despite increasing variability in instantaneous velocity - reduce variability in the average whisking velocity. Our results favor the third hypothesis and do not support the first two. Specifically, the velocity variability within a whisk can be observed as a shift in the phase of the maximum velocity. We discuss the implications of these results for the control of whisker motion, horizontal object localization, and processing in the thalamus and cortex of the rat vibrissal system.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
C. M. Harley, B. A. English, and R. E. Ritzmann
Characterization of obstacle negotiation behaviors in the cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis
J. Exp. Biol., May 15, 2009; 212(10): 1463 - 1476.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
V. Khatri, R. Bermejo, J. C. Brumberg, A. Keller, and H. P. Zeigler
Whisking in Air: Encoding of Kinematics by Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons in Awake Rats
J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2009; 101(4): 1836 - 1846.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
R. A. Grant, B. Mitchinson, C. W. Fox, and T. J. Prescott
Active Touch Sensing in the Rat: Anticipatory and Regulatory Control of Whisker Movements During Surface Exploration
J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2009; 101(2): 862 - 874.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
E. Lottem and R. Azouz
Dynamic Translation of Surface Coarseness Into Whisker Vibrations
J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2008; 100(5): 2852 - 2865.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 2008 by the The American Physiological Society.