Central connections of the trigeminal motor command system in the weakly electric Elephantnose fish ( Gnathonemus petersii )

2019 ◽  
Vol 527 (16) ◽  
pp. 2703-2729
Author(s):  
Monique Amey‐Özel ◽  
Stefanie Anders ◽  
Kirsty Grant ◽  
Gerhard Emde
Keyword(s):  
Motor Command ◽  
Weakly Electric ◽  
Gnathonemus Petersii

Bio-Inspired Active Electrolocation Sensors for Inspection of Tube Systems

2012 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Gottwald ◽  
Gerhard von der Emde
Keyword(s):  
Blood Vessels ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Skin Surface ◽  
Ring Electrode ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Atherosclerotic Lesions ◽  
Electric Image ◽  
Coronary Blood Vessels ◽  
Weakly Electric ◽  
Gnathonemus Petersii

At night, weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii use active electrolocation to scan their environment with self generated electric fields. Nearby objects distort the electric fields and are recognized as electric images on the electroreceptive skin surface of the animal. By analyzing the electric image, G. petersii can sense an object’s distance, dimensions and electrical properties. The principles and algorithms of active electrolocation can be applied to catheter-based sensor systems for analysing wall changes in fluid filled tube systems, for example atherosclerotic plaques of the coronary blood vessels. We used a basic atherosclerosis model of synthetic blood vessels and plaques, which were scanned with a ring electrode catheter applying active electrolocation. Based on the electric images of the plaques and the evaluation of bio-inspired image parameters, the plaque’s fine-structure could be assessed. Our results show that imaging through active electrolocation principally has the potential to detect and characterize atherosclerotic lesions.

A grouped retina provides high temporal resolution in the weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii

2013 ◽  
Vol 107 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 84-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Pusch ◽  
Vanessa Kassing ◽  
Ursula Riemer ◽  
Hans-Joachim Wagner ◽  
Gerhard von der Emde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Electric Fish ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Weakly Electric ◽  
Gnathonemus Petersii

scholarly journals Modeling the variability of the electromotor command system of pulse mormyrids

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ángel Lareo ◽  
Pablo Varona ◽  
Francisco B. Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Electric Fish ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Pulse Generation ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Freely Behaving ◽  
Weakly Electric ◽  
Gnathonemus Petersii

AbstractThe electromotor neural system in weakly electric fish is a network responsible for active electroreception and electrolocation. This system controls the timing of pulse generation in the electrical signals used by these fish for extracting information from the environment and communicating with other specimens. Ethological studies related to fish mating, exploratory, submissive or aggressive behaviors have described distinct sequences of pulse intervals (SPIs). Accelerations, scallops, rasps, and cessations are four patterns of SPIs reported in pulse mormyrids, each showing characteristic temporal structures and large variability both in timing and duration. This paper presents a biologically plausible computational model of the electromotor command circuit that reproduces these four SPI patterns as a function of the input to the model while keeping the same internal parameter configuration. The topology of the model is based on a simplified representation of the network as described by morphological and electrophysiological studies. An initial ad hoc tuned configuration (S-T) was build to reproduce all four SPI patterns. Then, starting from S-T, a genetic algorithm (GA) was developed to automatically find the parameters of the model connectivity. Two different configurations obtained from the GA are presented here: one optimized to a set of synthetic examples of SPI patterns based on experimental observations in mormyrids (S-GA), and another configuration adjusted to patterns recorded from freely-behaving Gnathonemus Petersii specimens (R-GA). A robustness analysis to input variability of these model configurations was performed to discard overfitting and assess validity. Results showed that the four SPI patterns are consistently reproduced, both with synthetic (S-GA) data and with signals recorded from behaving animals (R-GA). This new model can be used as a tool to analyze the electromotor command chain during electrogeneration and assess the role of temporal structure in electroreception.Author summaryWeakly electric fish are a convenient system to study information processing in the nervous system. These fish have a remarkable sense of active electroreception, which allows them to generate and detect electrical fields for locating objects and communicating with other specimens in their surroundings. The electrical signal generated by these fish can be easily monitored noninvasively in freely-behaving animals. Activity patterns in this signal have been associated to different fish behaviors, like aggression or mating, for some species of the mormyridae family. In this work we use discharge patterns recorded from specimens of the Gnathonemus Petersii species along with synthetic data to develop a model of the electromotor command network. The model network is based on morphological and physiological studies in this type of weakly electric fish. The parameters of this model were tuned using a genetic algorithm to fit both synthetic and recorded activity patterns. This computational model allows to simulate the electromotor network behavior under controlled conditions and to test new hypotheses on the generation and function of temporal structure in the signals produced by weakly electric fish.

scholarly journals Sensory influence on navigation in the weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii

2017 ◽  
Vol 132 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Schumacher ◽  
Gerhard von der Emde ◽  
Theresa Burt de Perera
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Weakly Electric ◽  
Gnathonemus Petersii
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