scholarly journals A moving topic: control and dynamics of animal locomotion

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Biewener ◽  
Thomas Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Animal Locomotion ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Integrative Research ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

Animal locomotion arises from complex interactions among sensory systems, processing of sensory information into patterns of motor output, the musculo-skeletal dynamics that follow motor stimulation, and the interaction of appendages and body parts with the environment. These processes conspire to produce motions and forces that permit stunning manoeuvres with important ecological and evolutionary consequences. Thus, the habitats that animals may exploit, their ability to escape predators or attack prey, their capacity to manoeuvre and turn, or the use of their available energy all depend upon the processes that determine locomotion. Here, we summarize a series of 10 papers focused on this integrative research topic.

scholarly journals Additive Manufacturing of Nerve Decellularized Extracellular Matrix-Contained Polyurethane Conduits for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen ◽  
Chen ◽  
Ng ◽  
Lou ◽  
Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Nerve Regeneration ◽  
Nerve Repair ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Cellular Adhesion ◽  
Electrical Signal ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Digital Light Processing ◽  
Nerve Conduits

The nervous system is the part of our body that plays critical roles in the coordination of actions and sensory information as well as communication between different body parts through electrical signal transmissions. Current studies have shown that patients are likely to experience a functional loss if they have to go through a nerve repair for >15 mm lesion. The ideal treatment methodology is autologous nerve transplant, but numerous problems lie in this treatment method, such as lack of harvesting sites. Therefore, researchers are attempting to fabricate alternatives for nerve regeneration, and nerve conduit is one of the potential alternatives for nerve regeneration. In this study, we fabricated polyurethane/polydopamine/extracellular matrix (PU/PDA/ECM) nerve conduits using digital light processing (DLP) technology and assessed for its physical properties, biodegradability, cytocompatibility, neural related growth factor, and proteins secretion and expression and its potential in allowing cellular adhesion and proliferation. It was reported that PU/PDA/ECM nerve conduits were more hydrophilic and allowed enhanced cellular adhesion, proliferation, expression, and secretion of neural-related proteins (collagen I and laminin) and also enhanced expression of neurogenic proteins, such as nestin and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2). In addition, PU/PDA/ECM nerve conduits were reported to be non-cytotoxic, had sustained biodegradability, and had similar physical characteristics as PU conduits. Therefore, we believed that PU/PDA/ECM nerve conduits could be a potential candidate for future nerve-related research or clinical applications.

scholarly journals Gait control in a soft robot by sensing interactions with the environment using self-deformation

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 160766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuya Umedachi ◽  
Takeshi Kano ◽  
Akio Ishiguro ◽  
Barry A. Trimmer
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Feedback ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Gait Pattern ◽  
Soft Robot ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Gait Control ◽  
Mechanical Responses ◽  
Contact Points ◽  
Propagating Waves

All animals use mechanosensors to help them move in complex and changing environments. With few exceptions, these sensors are embedded in soft tissues that deform in normal use such that sensory feedback results from the interaction of an animal with its environment. Useful information about the environment is expected to be embedded in the mechanical responses of the tissues during movements. To explore how such sensory information can be used to control movements, we have developed a soft-bodied crawling robot inspired by a highly tractable animal model, the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta . This robot uses deformations of its body to detect changes in friction force on a substrate. This information is used to provide local sensory feedback for coupled oscillators that control the robot's locomotion. The validity of the control strategy is demonstrated with both simulation and a highly deformable three-dimensionally printed soft robot. The results show that very simple oscillators are able to generate propagating waves and crawling/inching locomotion through the interplay of deformation in different body parts in a fully decentralized manner. Additionally, we confirmed numerically and experimentally that the gait pattern can switch depending on the surface contact points. These results are expected to help in the design of adaptable, robust locomotion control systems for soft robots and also suggest testable hypotheses about how soft animals use sensory feedback.

scholarly journals Different theta frameworks coexist in the rat hippocampus and are coordinated during memory-guided and novelty tasks

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor J López-Madrona ◽  
Elena Pérez-Montoyo ◽  
Efrén Álvarez-Salvado ◽  
David Moratal ◽  
Oscar Herreras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Theta Activity ◽  
Coherent Oscillation ◽  
Phase Coupling ◽  
Internal Memory ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Theta Frequency ◽  
Memory Representations ◽  
Hippocampal Theta

Hippocampal firing is organized in theta sequences controlled by internal memory processes and by external sensory cues, but how these computations are coordinated is not fully understood. Although theta activity is commonly studied as a unique coherent oscillation, it is the result of complex interactions between different rhythm generators. Here, by separating hippocampal theta activity in three different current generators, we found epochs with variable theta frequency and phase coupling, suggesting flexible interactions between theta generators. We found that epochs of highly synchronized theta rhythmicity preferentially occurred during behavioral tasks requiring coordination between internal memory representations and incoming sensory information. In addition, we found that gamma oscillations were associated with specific theta generators and the strength of theta-gamma coupling predicted the synchronization between theta generators. We propose a mechanism for segregating or integrating hippocampal computations based on the flexible coordination of different theta frameworks to accommodate the cognitive needs.

scholarly journals Distance estimation from monocular cues in an ethological visuomotor task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip R L Parker ◽  
Eliott T T Abe ◽  
Natalie T Beatie ◽  
Emmalyn S P Leonard ◽  
Dylan M Martins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Stereo Vision ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Motion Parallax ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Distance Estimation ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Visuomotor Task ◽  
Head Fixation

In natural contexts, sensory processing and motor output are closely coupled, which is reflected in the fact that many brain areas contain both sensory and movement signals. However, standard reductionist paradigms decouple sensory decisions from their natural motor consequences, and head-fixation prevents the natural sensory consequences of self-motion. In particular, movement through the environment provides a number of depth cues beyond stereo vision that are poorly understood. To study the integration of visual processing and motor output in a naturalistic task, we investigated distance estimation in freely moving mice. We found that mice use vision to accurately jump across a variable gap, thus directly coupling a visual computation to its corresponding ethological motor output. Monocular eyelid suture did not affect performance, thus mice can use cues that do not depend on binocular disparity and stereo vision. Under monocular conditions, mice performed more vertical head movements, consistent with the use of motion parallax cues, and optogenetic suppression of primary visual cortex impaired task performance. Together, these results show that mice can use monocular cues, relying on visual cortex, to accurately judge distance. Furthermore, this behavioral paradigm provides a foundation for studying how neural circuits convert sensory information into ethological motor output.

scholarly journals Selection of head and whisker coordination strategies during goal-oriented active touch

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 1797-1809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph B. Schroeder ◽  
Jason T. Ritt
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Active Touch ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Level Control ◽  
Head Turning ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Coordination Strategies

In the rodent whisker system, a key model for neural processing and behavioral choices during active sensing, whisker motion is increasingly recognized as only part of a broader motor repertoire employed by rodents during active touch. In particular, recent studies suggest whisker and head motions are tightly coordinated. However, conditions governing the selection and temporal organization of such coordinated sensing strategies remain poorly understood. We videographically reconstructed head and whisker motions of freely moving mice searching for a randomly located rewarded aperture, focusing on trials in which animals appeared to rapidly “correct” their trajectory under tactile guidance. Mice orienting after unilateral contact repositioned their whiskers similarly to previously reported head-turning asymmetry. However, whisker repositioning preceded head turn onsets and was not bilaterally symmetric. Moreover, mice selectively employed a strategy we term contact maintenance, with whisking modulated to counteract head motion and facilitate repeated contacts on subsequent whisks. Significantly, contact maintenance was not observed following initial contact with an aperture boundary, when the mouse needed to make a large corrective head motion to the front of the aperture, but only following contact by the same whisker field with the opposite aperture boundary, when the mouse needed to precisely align its head with the reward spout. Together these results suggest that mice can select from a diverse range of sensing strategies incorporating both knowledge of the task and whisk-by-whisk sensory information and, moreover, suggest the existence of high level control (not solely reflexive) of sensing motions coordinated between multiple body parts.

scholarly journals Backward spatial perception can be augmented through a novel visual-to-auditory sensory substitution algorithm

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ophir Netzer ◽  
Benedetta Heimler ◽  
Amir Shur ◽  
Tomer Behor ◽  
Amir Amedi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Perception ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Sensory Augmentation ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Human Perceptions ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Spatial Fields

AbstractCan humans extend and augment their natural perceptions during adulthood? Here, we address this fascinating question by investigating the extent to which it is possible to successfully augment visual spatial perception to include the backward spatial field (a region where humans are naturally blind) via other sensory modalities (i.e., audition). We thus developed a sensory-substitution algorithm, the “Topo-Speech” which conveys identity of objects through language, and their exact locations via vocal-sound manipulations, namely two key features of visual spatial perception. Using two different groups of blindfolded sighted participants, we tested the efficacy of this algorithm to successfully convey location of objects in the forward or backward spatial fields following ~ 10 min of training. Results showed that blindfolded sighted adults successfully used the Topo-Speech to locate objects on a 3 × 3 grid either positioned in front of them (forward condition), or behind their back (backward condition). Crucially, performances in the two conditions were entirely comparable. This suggests that novel spatial sensory information conveyed via our existing sensory systems can be successfully encoded to extend/augment human perceptions. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to spatial perception, sensory augmentation and sensory rehabilitation.

scholarly journals A Human Affect Recognition System for Socially Interactive Robots

Robotics ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 295-314
Author(s):  
Derek McColl ◽  
Goldie Nejat
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Recognition System ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Body Language ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Language Recognition ◽  
Human Body Model ◽  
Socially Interactive Robots ◽  
Body Shapes ◽  
Affective Body Language

This chapter presents a real-time robust affect classification methodology for socially interactive robots engaging in one-on-one human-robot-interactions (HRI). The methodology is based on identifying a person’s body language in order to determine how accessible he/she is to a robot during the interactions. Static human body poses are determined by first identifying individual body parts and then utilizing an indirect 3D human body model that is invariant to different body shapes and sizes. The authors implemented and tested their technique using two different sensory systems in social HRI scenarios to motivate its robustness for the proposed application. In particular, the experiments consisted of integrating the proposed body language recognition and affect classification methodology with imaging-based sensory systems onto the human-like socially interactive robot Brian 2.0 in order for the robot to recognize affective body language during one-on-one interactions.

Intrinsic Neuronal Properties, Neural Networks, and Behavior

The Neuron ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 457-488
Author(s):  
Irwin B. Levitan ◽  
Leonard K. Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Dendritic Tree ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Command Systems ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Intrinsic Neuronal Properties

Complex interactions among large numbers of neurons are required to generate most behaviors. Studies in biological model systems—such as the stomatogastric ganglion of lobsters and crabs, and neurons controlling reproduction in Aplysia—have provided insights into how the intrinsic electrical properties of neurons shape network activity and animal behavior. Some neurons can participate simultaneously in more than a single network, and the properties of a network may be modulated by the actions of neurotransmitters and hormones. Changes in the intrinsic excitability of a single command neuron or command systems of neurons can trigger a complicated and long-lasting behavior. Cellular mechanisms that regulate the accuracy of timing of action potentials, both within a network and in different parts of a dendritic tree, are also important for the interpretation of sensory information and for the ability of a neuron to modify the strength of the connections it makes with other neurons.

The First Steps in Mate Choice

Mate Choice ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gil G. Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Sensory Ecology ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
Mating Preference ◽  
Common Features ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter focuses on the importance of sensation and sensory modality in shaping mate choice, drawing on the substantial literature on the sensory ecology of mate choice. It outlines the important common features of all sensory systems. All of these common features can be used to explain chooser features downstream of sensation, through perception to the motor output of behavior. These shared features are what is most important in terms of our understanding of mate choice, but what draws our attention about mate choice is the diversity of ways in which it is accomplished. The chapter focuses on the particulars of how sensory systems work in each of the principal modalities. It concludes by addressing the relationship between sensitivity, sensory constraints, and mating preference.

scholarly journals The magic hand: Plasticity of mental hand representation

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 2314-2324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianna Cocchini ◽  
Toni Galligan ◽  
Laura Mora ◽  
Gustav Kuhn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Representation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Hand Position ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Motor Information ◽  
The Impact

Internal spatial body configurations are crucial to successfully interact with the environment and to experience our body as a three-dimensional volumetric entity. These representations are highly malleable and are modulated by a multitude of afferent and motor information. Despite some studies reporting the impact of sensory and motor modulation on body representations, the long-term relationship between sensory information and mental representation of own body parts is still unclear. We investigated hand representation in a group of expert sleight-of-hand magicians and in a group of age-matched adults naïve to magic (controls). Participants were asked to localise landmarks of their fingers when their hand position was congruent with the mental representation (Experiment 1) and when proprioceptive information was “misleading” (Experiment 2). Magicians outperformed controls in both experiments, suggesting that extensive training in sleight of hand has a profound effect in refining hand representation. Moreover, the impact of training seems to have a high body-part specificity, with a maximum impact for those body sections used more prominently during the training. Interestingly, it seems that sleight-of-hand training can lead to a specific improvement of hand mental representation, which relies less on proprioceptive information.

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