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105
Strategy change in vibrissal active sensing during rat locomotion
Kendra Arkley1, Robyn A Grant2, Ben Mitchinson1
1Active Touch Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
Current Biology : CB
|June 24, 2014
Summary
Rats actively change their whisker movements based on environmental context, shifting from broad exploration in novel settings to more focused "look ahead" behaviors as familiarity increases.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Biology
- Sensory Systems
Background:
- Mammals use facial whiskers (macrovibrissae) for active sensing during exploration.
- Whisking movements are modulated by head motion and sensory feedback, suggesting purposive behavior.
- Active sensing involves modifying control strategies based on environmental context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if whisker control strategies in rats change with contextual variables.
- To examine the influence of environment familiarity, collision risk, and visual cues on whisking behavior.
- To determine if functionally blind and sighted rats exhibit different adaptive whisking strategies.
Main Methods:
- Rats were trained to navigate circuits for food rewards.
- High-speed videography was used to measure whisker movements (whisking).
- Contextual variables included environment familiarity, collision risk, and visual cue availability.
Main Results:
- Functionally blind rats showed slower speeds and broader whisker sweeps in novel environments.
- With increased familiarity, rats moved faster, protracted whiskers further, and decreased whisking amplitude.
- Both blind and sighted rats altered whisking strategies based on context, with distinct changes observed between groups and conditions (e.g., darkness).
Conclusions:
- Whisker control strategies adapt to environmental context, demonstrating active sensing.
- The vibrissal system serves as a model for purposive mammalian behavior.
- Changes in whisking behavior reflect a shift from surface exploration to 'look ahead' sensing.
