Modeling Forces and Moments at the Base of a Rat Vibrissa during Noncontact Whisking and Whisking against an Object

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1707-12.2014
• Publication Date: 2014-07-23T17:00:04Z
• Authors: B. W. Quist; V. Seghete; L. A. Huet; T. D. Murphey; M. J. Z. Hartmann
• Keywords: Whisking in animals

During exploratory behavior, rats brush and tap their whiskers against objects, the mechanical signals so generated constitute primary sensory variables upon which these animals base vibrissotactile perception of world. To date, however, we lack a general dynamic model vibrissa that includes effects inertia, damping, collisions. We simulated vibrissal dynamics to compute time-varying forces bending moment at during both noncontact (free-air) whisking an object (collision). Results show following: (1) whisking, contain components frequency also twice (the latter could code speed); (2) when whisk rhythmically object, intrinsic can be as large many collision, axial force still generate responses reliably indicate collision based on thresholding; (3) velocity will have only small effect transient response whisker–object collision. Instead, depend in part how rat chooses decelerate its vibrissae after The allows experimentalists estimate error bounds quasi-static descriptions shape, predictions used bound realistic expectations from neurons sensing. discuss implications results under assumption trigeminal ganglion are sensitive various combinations signals.