Parallel vibrissal sensory processing

Parallel processing - passive touch

We have previously found that sensory information in the vibrissal system is not processed the same way along the two main afferent pathways of the vibrissal system (the lemniscal and paralemniscal). Whereas spatial information is processed primarily along the lemniscal pathway, temporal information is processed primarily along the paralemniscal pathway.

These results were obtained by recording neuronal activity in anesthetized rats while applying mechanical stimuli to passive whiskers. Natural active touch in awake rats involves motor-driven sensory acquisition and rats actively move their whiskers to sample the world near their snout. To study active whisking with controlled stimulus application, we developed a technique of artificial whisking in anesthetized rats.

 

Parallel processing - active touch

Using artificial whisking in anesthetized rats, we discovered that the three classes of signals are carried to the thalamus by three separate afferent pathways: the paralemniscal convey whisking related signals, a newly discovered "extralemniscal" pathway (discovered by the group of Martin Deschênes) conveys touch related signals, and the lemniscal pathway conveys whisking/touch related signals. These three classes of signals begin to integrate in the barrels (SI) cortex, although a segregation between whisking and contact signals is still evident between layers 5a and 4 (barrels), respectively.

 

Relevant papers

  • Derdikman, D; Yu, CX; Haidarliu, S; Bagdasarian, K; Arieli, A; Ahissar, E (2006). Layer-specific touch-dependent facilitation and depression in the somatosensory cortex during active whisking.  Journal Of Neuroscience. 26:9538-9547.

  • Yu, CX; Derdikman, D; Haidarliu, S; Ahissar, E (2006). Parallel thalamic pathways for whisking and touch signals in the rat.  Plos Biology. 4:819-825.

  • Ahissar, E; Sosnik, R; Bagdasarian, K; Haidarliu, S (2001). Temporal frequency of whisker movement. II. Laminar organization of cortical representations.  Journal Of Neurophysiology. 86:354-367.

  • Sosnik, R; Haidarliu, S; Ahissar, E (2001). Temporal frequency of whisker movement. I. Representations in brain stem and thalamus.  Journal Of Neurophysiology. 86:339-353.

  • Ahissar, E; Sosnik, R; Haidarliu, S (2000). Transformation from temporal to rate coding in a somatosensory thalamocortical pathway.  Nature. 406:302-306.

  • Yu, CX; Horev, G; Rubin, N; Derdikman, D; Haidarliu, S; Ahissar, E (2015). Coding of Object Location in the Vibrissal Thalamocortical System.  Cerebral Cortex. 25:563-577.

     

 

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