Sensing and processing whisker deflections in rodents

PeerJ

article

Thomas F. Burns¹  Ramesh Rajan¹ 

[1] Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University

关键词: Barrel cortex;    Whisker;    Sensory processing;    Sensory pathway;    Thalamocortical pathway;    Somatopy;    Microcircuits;    Inhibition;    Septa;    Cortical column;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10730

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

The classical view of sensory information mainly flowing into barrel cortex at layer IV, moving up for complex feature processing and lateral interactions in layers II and III, then down to layers V and VI for output and corticothalamic feedback is becoming increasingly undermined by new evidence. We review the neurophysiology of sensing and processing whisker deflections, emphasizing the general processing and organisational principles present along the entire sensory pathway—from the site of physical deflection at the whiskers to the encoding of deflections in the barrel cortex. Many of these principles support the classical view. However, we also highlight the growing number of exceptions to these general principles, which complexify the system and which investigators should be mindful of when interpreting their results. We identify gaps in the literature for experimentalists and theorists to investigate, not just to better understand whisker sensation but also to better understand sensory and cortical processing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY