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Sensorimotor integration in the whisker somatosensory brain stem trigeminal loop
Omer Tsur1, Yana Khrapunsky1, Rony Azouz1
1Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|September 19, 2019
Summary
Rodent whisker movements involve complex sensorimotor integration. Motor feedback dynamically adjusts sensory neuron sensitivity, while tactile input modulates whisking speed and amplitude.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Systems
- Motor Control
Background:
- The rodent vibrissal system serves as a model for sensorimotor integration.
- Sensorimotor integration in the whisker somatosensory system occurs in the brain stem loop.
- This integration is crucial for rodent exploration and environmental sensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sensorimotor interactions within the rodent whisker system.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of sensory feedback and motor output modulation.
Main Methods:
- In vivo recordings from lightly anesthetized rats.
- In vitro recordings from brain stem slices.
- Isolation of specific components of the sensorimotor loop.
Main Results:
- Motor feedback to the vibrissal pad acts as a dynamic gain controller for sensory neurons.
- Sensitivity of first-order sensory neurons is modulated based on tactile stimulus magnitude.
- Tactile inputs influence whisking kinetics and amplitude via the facial nucleus.
Conclusions:
- Sensorimotor integration in the brain stem loop involves mutual influences between tactile input and motor output.
- Motor feedback regulates sensory information flow based on stimulus magnitude.
- Sensory information dynamically adjusts whisker movement parameters.
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