Whisker movements as a window into attentional processing in the rat
| Dates: | 26 May 2015 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Faculty of Life Sciences |
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| Speaker: | Kendra Arkley |
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This seminar is part of the Future Leaders in Sensory and Computational Neuroscience series, showcasing the best early career researchers in the field. Abstract: For rats, the whiskers provide a primary sensory input that allows them to evaluate and explore the environment around them, including activities such as climbing, swimming, prey capture and many others. Furthermore, the ‘whisking’ movements that accompany exploration are modulated by head movement, and by whisker input, and are hence considered to be information-seeking and purposive – the features of an active sensing system. Yet, although the whisker system is generally well-defined, there is little research investigating the relationship between whisking and bodily movements (a brain-body link). Here I introduce a series of experiments using high-speed videography, which provide evidence that the whiskers can be used to facilitate and direct effective locomotion. Lastly, I will discuss a theory (and future research) that is able to explain the relationship between whisking and locomotion, and indeed all observed whisker movements and gross behaviour using one key variable – the attended to region of space. Additional Info: please contact Rasmus Petersen if you would like to meet with Kendra (R.Petersen@manchester.ac.uk)
Speaker
Kendra Arkley
Organisation: University of Sheffield
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
4.005
AV Hill Building
Manchester
