Document Detail


A multi-channel whisker stimulator for producing spatiotemporally complex tactile stimuli.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  11164246     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
A system is described that delivers complex, biologically realistic, tactile stimuli to the rat's facial whisker pad by independently stimulating up to 16 individual facial whiskers in a flexible yet highly controlled and repeatable manner. The system is technically simple and inexpensive to construct. The system consists of an array of 16 miniature-solenoid driven actuators that are attached to 16 individual facial whiskers via very small (130 microm dia.) Teflon-coated stainless steel wires. When individual solenoids are energized, the wire is rapidly retracted, resulting in a deflection of individual whiskers. The rise time of deflection is approx. 1 mm/ms. Repeatable stimulation of individual whiskers can be achieved without touching adjacent whiskers, thereby allowing a very high density of stimulators to be attached within the spatially restricted region of the facial whisker pad. Complex patterns of whisker stimulation (designed to mimic biologically realistic stimuli) are delivered to the whisker pad by activating individual solenoid actuators in precisely controlled temporal patterns. These stimulations can be combined with multi-electrode single-unit ensemble recordings at multiple sites within the rat trigeminal somatosensory system. Analysis of neuronal population responses to these complex stimuli is intended to examine how the trigeminal somatosensory system encodes and processes spatiotemporally complex stimuli.
Authors:
D J Krupa; A J Brisben; M A Nicolelis
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of neuroscience methods     Volume:  104     ISSN:  0165-0270     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Neurosci. Methods     Publication Date:  2001 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2001-02-22     Completed Date:  2001-04-12     Revised Date:  2007-11-14    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7905558     Medline TA:  J Neurosci Methods     Country:  Netherlands    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  199-208     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3209, 101 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA. krupad@neuro.duke.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Female
Neurons / physiology
Physical Stimulation / instrumentation*,  methods*
Rats
Rats, Long-Evans
Reaction Time / physiology
Somatosensory Cortex / physiology
Touch / physiology*
Ventral Thalamic Nuclei / physiology
Vibrissae / innervation*
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
DE-11121/DE/NIDCR NIH HHS; MH11808/MH/NIMH NIH HHS

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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