Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Haptic object localization in the vibrissal system: behavior and performance.

Per Magne Knutsen1, Maciej Pietr, Ehud Ahissar

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel. per.knutsen@weizmann.ac.il

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|August 18, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Publisher Correction: Club-like receptors respond to light touch but not to whisking.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Club-like receptors respond to light touch but not to whisking.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

An elastic segment of the whisker shaft enables coding of the whisking phase via whisker torsion in rats and mice.

Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)·2025
Same author

Digital-analog perceptual duality.

Psychological review·2025
Same author

The visual system does not operate like a camera.

Journal of vision·2025
Same author

Co-coding of head and whisker movements by both VPM and POm thalamic neurons.

Nature communications·2024
Same journal

Endogenous peptide derived from c-Cbl-associated protein counteracts its inhibitory effect on enteric neural crest cell colonization in Hirschsprung disease.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Drowsiness alters the neural dynamics but not the core computations of multisensory integration.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

A Matter of Parameters: Tailored Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Enhances Cortico-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit Resonance.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Proactive visual and motor prioritization differentially scale with cue reliability.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Erratum: Yao et al., "Estrogen Regulates Bcl-w and Bim Expression: Role in Protection against β-Amyloid Peptide-Induced Neuronal Death".

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Erratum: L'Episcopo et al., "Plasticity of Subventricular Zone Neuroprogenitors in MPTP (1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine) Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease Involves Cross Talk between Inflammatory and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathways: Functional Consequences for Neuroprotection and Repair".

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Rats can precisely locate objects horizontally using their whiskers, achieving hyperacuity. This active sensing process requires whisker movement for accurate positional judgments.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Biology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Rats utilize mystacial vibrissas (whiskers) for object localization and identification.
  • Understanding the sensory thresholds and behavioral mechanisms of vibrissal-mediated tasks is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the discriminatory thresholds and behavioral capabilities of rats in a horizontal object localization task.
  • To investigate the role of different whisker configurations in tactile spatial perception.

Main Methods:

  • Employed an adaptive training procedure for horizontal object localization.
  • Tested rats with intact vibrissae, single rows/arcs, and single whiskers (C2).
  • Analyzed performance correlation with whisking spectral power and effects of facial motor nerve lesioning.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Rats could discriminate horizontal offsets with multiple whiskers or arcs intact, but not with a single whisker.
  • Localization thresholds as low as 0.24 mm (approx. 1 degree) were achieved.
  • Finest acuity (<1.5 mm) observed with initial training on all whiskers, then reduced to one arc; performance correlated with whisking activity (5-25 Hz).

Conclusions:

  • Horizontal object localization via the rat vibrissal system can reach hyperacuity.
  • This is an active sensing process where whisker movements are essential and beneficial for accurate judgments.