Models of rodent facial musculature for the study of active tactile sensing

用于研究主动触觉感知的啮齿动物面部肌肉组织模型

• 批准号: 10435437
• 负责人: Mitra J Hartmann
• 金额: $ 36.17万
• 依托单位: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10435437
• 关键词: 3-Dimensional; Afferent Neurons; Anatomic Models; Anatomy; Animal Behavior; Area; Attention; Back; Behavior; Behavioral; Bilateral; Biomechanics; Brain; Brain Stem; Breathing; Childhood; Complex; Data; Deglutition; Deglutition Disorders; Elderly; Elements; Exploratory Behavior; Exposure to; Face; Facial Muscles; Feedback; Freedom; Frequencies; Goals; Hand; Head; Histology; Infant; Investigation; Laboratories; Light; Limb structure; MRI Scans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mastication; Mechanics; Modeling; Morphology; Motion; Motor; Movement; Mus; Muscle; Nervous system structure; Neural Pathways; Neuromechanics; Neurosciences; Paper; Pattern; Periodicity; Persons; Plants; Rattus; Research Personnel; Rodent; Rodent Model; Role; Sensory; Sensory Process; Side; Signal Transduction; Smell Perception; Speed; System; Tactile; Testing; Time; Touch sensation; Trigeminal System; Vibrissae; Volition; Work; X-Ray Computed Tomography; active control; base; behavioral study; biomechanical model; central pattern generator; experimental study; kinematics; microCT; motor control; neuroregulation; novel; prevent; relating to nervous system; sensor; simulation; software systems; suckling; three-dimensional modeling

Project Summary: The rodent vibrissal (whisker) system is one of the most widely-used models in neuroscience to study how information about movement and touch are combined. During many exploratory behaviors, rats and mice sweep their whiskers back and forth in a rapid, rhythmic motion called “whisking” to actively gather touch information. Although whisking is rhythmic, rodents can also change how their whiskers move depending on the desired sensory information, and on their particular behavior. Researchers are nearly able to begin to “close-the-loop” between movement and touch for the whisker system, except for one critical gap: we do not yet have a three dimensional (3D) model of rodent facial musculature. Without such a model, we cannot identify how the rat changes its muscle activity to change whisker motion and acquire particular types of sensory information. We cannot know which whisker motions are fixed via the biomechanics, versus which motions the rat can actively control. We cannot fully understand the motor commands sent to the whisker muscles. The central goal of this proposal is to develop three-dimensional (3D) models of rodent facial musculature that close this gap. We will first use a novel combination of tactile profilometry, histology, MRI, and CT-scans to quantify the anatomy of rodent facial muscles and the follicles that hold the whiskers. Using this anatomy, we will then construct 3D biomechanical models of the whisker muscles and follicles to simulate the motion of all whiskers. These models will be validated and tested in several different complementary software systems, and then be used to test eleven specific predictions for the particular function of each whisker-related muscle. Finally, we will integrate the 3D models of rodent facial muscles with existing models that describe the sensory, tactile side of whisker motion. These combined muscle-sensory simulations will be directly compared with active animal behavior. This work takes a step towards closing the loop between motor action and the sensory data acquired, and helps disentangle the relative roles of biomechanics and neural control during different types of whisking. The proposed work will inform all levels of study of whisker neural pathways, from primary sensory neurons to sensory and motor cortical areas, to brainstem regions involved in controlling whisker motions. More generally, whisking represents a unique window into how volitional control can modulate or override centrally-patterned movement. The transition between varieties of rhythmic and non- rhythmic movement has important implications for the coordination of sniffing, breathing, olfaction, chewing, swallowing, and suckling, and the proposed work could thus shed light on the neuromechanical basis for some pediatric and geriatric dysphagias.

项目摘要： 啮齿动物（Whisker）系统是神经科学中最广泛使用的模型之一，用于研究如何 有关运动和触摸的信息已结合在一起。在许多探索性行为中，大鼠和小鼠 迅速，有节奏的运动称为“晶须”，以积极的触摸来来回扫荡晶须 信息。尽管鞭打是有节奏的，但啮齿动物也可以改变晶须的移动方式 所需的感官信息及其特定行为。研究人员几乎可以开始 除了一个关键差距外，晶须系统的运动和触摸之间的“近距离”：我们没有 然而，具有啮齿动物面部肌肉的三维（3D）模型。没有这样的模型，我们将无法 确定大鼠如何改变其肌肉活动以改变晶须运动并获取特定类型的 感官信息。我们不知道哪些晶须运动是通过生物力学固定的， 大鼠可以主动控制的动作。我们无法完全理解发送给晶须的电机命令 肌肉。该提议的核心目标是开发啮齿动物面部的三维（3D）模型 缩小这一差距的肌肉。我们将首先使用触觉细节学，组织学，MRI和 CT扫描量量化啮齿动物面部肌肉的解剖结构和容纳晶须的卵泡。使用此 然后，我们将构建晶须肌肉和卵泡的3D生物力学模型，以模拟 所有晶须的运动。这些模型将在几个不同的完成软件中进行验证和测试 系统，然后用于测试每种晶须相关的特定功能的11个特定预测 肌肉。最后，我们将将啮齿动物面部肌肉的3D模型与描述的现有模型相结合 感觉，晶须运动的触觉一面。这些组合的肌肉感觉模拟将直接比较 具有活跃的动物行为。这项工作朝着关闭电机动作和 获取的感官数据，并有助于解散生物力学和神经控制的相对作用 不同类型的搅拌。拟议的工作将从 对感官和运动皮质区域的主要感觉神经元，涉及控制的脑干区域 晶须运动。更一般地，搅拌代表了一个独特的窗口，即意志控制如何 调节或覆盖集中运动。节奏和非 - 有节奏的运动对嗅探，呼吸，嗅觉，咀嚼， 因此，吞咽和哺乳，拟议的工作可能会以某些神经力学的基础阐明 小儿和老年吞咽困难。