Although the study of somatosensory systems has elucidated fundamental principles in cortical function, our understanding of the functional operation of these systems under """"""""real world"""""""" conditions is limited. In the rat vibrissa (whisker) system, an excellent model in which to explore this issue, previous physiological investigations have been largely limited to single-pulse and periodic stimulation, even though during object exploration a rat will typically experience complicated temporal patterns of vibrissa stimulation. I propose to examine the perception of more realistic stimuli along an axis of stimulus """"""""complexity"""""""". Specifically, I will extend previous psychophysical studies by testing the ability of rats to discriminate gratings, which differ in periodicity (the regularity of groove spacings) but not average spatial frequency. I will further quantify, in awake, sedated rats, the cortical neural responses to aperiodic and periodic stimuli, in the context of hypothetical neural codes. Ultimately, a more thorough understanding of neural processing of natural tactile stimuli could guide corrective procedures for impaired tactile sensation and aid the design of more effective prosthesis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
5F32NS045415-02
Application #
6874486
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F02B (20))
Program Officer
Babcock, Debra J
Project Start
2004-02-26
Project End
2007-02-25
Budget Start
2005-02-16
Budget End
2006-02-15
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$48,296
Indirect Cost
Name
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
001425594
City
Cambridge
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02139
Ritt, Jason T; Andermann, Mark L; Moore, Christopher I (2008) Embodied information processing: vibrissa mechanics and texture features shape micromotions in actively sensing rats. Neuron 57:599-613