Stimulator compensation and generation of Gaussian noise stimuli with defined amplitude spectra for studying input-output relations of sensory systems.

Gaussian noise is an important stimulus for the study of biological systems, especially sensory and neural systems. Since these systems are inherently nonlinear, the properties of the noise strongly influence the outcome of the analysis. Therefore, it is crucial to use a well-defined and controlled noise stimulus. In this paper, we first use the example of an insect filiform sensillum, a simple mechanoreceptor with a single sensory cell, to show that changes in the amplitude and spectral properties of the noise stimulus indeed affect the linear transfer function of the sensillum. We then explain step-by-step how to use the inverse fast Fourier transform to generate a Gaussian noise that has an arbitrary user-defined amplitude spectrum, including a band-limited white noise with a perfectly sharp cutoff edge. Finally, we demonstrate how such a perfect band-limited Gaussian white noise stimulus can also be generated with a non-perfect stimulator using a simple procedure that compensates for the filtering properties of the stimulator. With this approach, one can generate well-defined Gaussian noise stimuli that can be adapted to any application. For example, one can generate visual, sound, or vibrational stimuli for experimental research in visual physiology, auditory physiology, and biotremology, as well as inputs for testing various models in theoretical research.

Horsefly object-directed polarotaxis is mediated by a stochastically distributed ommatidial subtype in the ventral retina.

The ventral compound eye of many insects contains polarization-sensitive photoreceptors, but little is known about how they are integrated into visual functions. In female horseflies, polarized reflections from animal fur are a key stimulus for host detection. To understand how polarization vision is mediated by the ventral compound eye, we investigated the band-eyed brown horsefly Tabanus bromius using anatomical, physiological, and behavioral approaches. Serial electron microscopic sectioning of the retina and single-cell recordings were used to determine the spectral and polarization sensitivity (PS) of photoreceptors. We found 2 stochastically distributed subtypes of ommatidia, analogous to pale and yellow of other flies. Importantly, the pale analog contains an orthogonal analyzer receptor pair with high PS, formed by an ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive R7 and a UV- and blue-sensitive R8, while the UV-sensitive R7 and green-sensitive R8 in the yellow analog always have low PS. We tested horsefly polarotaxis in the field, using lures with controlled spectral and polarization composition. Polarized reflections without UV and blue components rendered the lures unattractive, while reflections without the green component increased their attractiveness. This is consistent with polarotaxis being guided by a differential signal from polarization analyzers in the pale analogs, and with an inhibitory role of the yellow analogs. Our results reveal how stochastically distributed sensory units with modality-specific division of labor serve as separate and opposing input channels for visual guidance.

The Piezo-resistive MC Sensor is a Fast and Accurate Sensor for the Measurement of Mechanical Muscle Activity.

A piezo-resistive muscle contraction (MC) sensor was used to assess the contractile properties of seven human skeletal muscles (vastus medialis, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, biceps femoris, erector spinae) during electrically stimulated isometric contraction. The sensor was affixed to the skin directly above the muscle centre. The length of the adjustable sensor tip (3, 4.5 and 6 mm) determined the depth of the tip in the tissue and thus the initial pressure on the skin, fatty and muscle tissue. The depth of the tip increased the signal amplitude and slightly sped up the time course of the signal by shortening the delay time. The MC sensor readings were compared to tensiomyographic (TMG) measurements. The signals obtained by MC only partially matched the TMG measurements, largely due to the faster response time of the MC sensor.

A single mechanism driving both inactivation and adaptation in rapidly adapting currents of DRG neurons?

Rapidly adapting (RA) currents expressed in dorsal root ganglia somatosensory neurons reduce their amplitude in response to prolonged and/or repeated mechanical stimulation. Both inactivation of mechanotransducer channels and adaptation of the force acting on the channels have been suggested to independently decrease RA currents. However, these two mechanisms have similar kinetics and dependence on calcium and voltage. These experimental findings suggest that a single mechanism might underlie both. We constructed a simple Hodgkin-Huxley-type model with a single gating variable driving both inactivation and adaptation to test this hypothesis. Predictions of the model successfully describe key features of mechanical activation as well as inactivation, adaptation, and recovery. The model thus supports the possibility of a single mechanism driving inactivation and adaptation in RA currents. On its own, the model can be integrated into higher-order models of touch receptors because of its accurate simulation of RA currents.

Investigation of blood flow and the effect of vasoactive substances in cutaneous blood vessels of Xenopus laevis.

In the present study, a preparation of frog skin was presented, which can be used to demonstrate the basic concepts of blood flow regulation in a very clear and attractive way to high school and university students. In a freshly euthanized Xenopus, a patch of abdominal skin was exposed from the internal side and viewed with a USB microscope while it remained connected to a functioning circulatory system. In this way, it was possible to obtain sharp images of arteries and veins and to visualize blood flow. This allows students to learn about the functional differences between arteries and veins and about the complexity of hemodynamics as well as the particularities of the amphibian pulmocutaneous circulation. Students can then quantitatively estimate the effect of norepinephrine and epinephrine on the diameter of blood vessels by simply superfusing the skin patch with a series of solutions of the two substances. They can also test the effect of α-adrenergic receptor blockers, used to treat high blood pressure, on the norepinephrine-induced muscle tonus of blood vessels.

Effects of prolonged exposure to cold on the spontaneous activity of two different types of filiform sensilla in Pyrrhocoris apterus.

We recorded the spontaneous activity of T1 and T2 filiform sensilla from October to May in Pyrrhocoris apterus acclimatized to outdoor conditions. The aim of the study was to determine how prolonged exposure to cold affects two closely related mechanosensitive sensilla. We recorded the activity at seven temperatures from 5 to 35 °C. In both sensilla types the activity level was reduced during winter, which correlated to changes in acclimatization temperature (r = 0.7), the reduction was greater at high recording temperatures, and the effects of exposure to cold were reversed by transferring the animals indoors. However, T1 activity always increased monotonically, if the recording temperature was increased from 5 to 35 °C, whereas T2 activity in cold-acclimatized animals increased to temperatures between 20 and 30 °C and then started decreasing. As a result, the temperature sensitivity of the activity was reduced more profoundly in T2 sensilla (in T2 Q10 was reduced from 3.5 in October to 1.4 in January, whereas in T1 it was reduced from 2.5 to 2.2). In conclusion, we have shown that prolonged exposure to cold does affect filiform sensilla; however, the effect is significantly different in the two sensilla types.

Multiple mechanisms generate the resting activity of filiform sensilla in the firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus L.; Heteroptera).

The resting activity was studied in filiform sensilla of the firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus). Three functional types (T(1), T(2) and T(3)) were detected on the abdomen. A resting discharge of nerve impulses is present in all-always in types T(1) and T(2) and occasionally in type T(3). In T(1) the mean rate is 57, in T(2) 3.3 and in T(3) 0.5 imp/s. Shortening the hair length had a negligible effect on the resting discharge, which indicates an intrinsic origin. The resting activity is highly temperature dependent. In T(1), the activation energy was 56.8, in T(2) 84 and in T(3) 61.4 kJ/mol (Q (10): 2.27, 5.6 and 5.5, respectively). Such values are typical for mechano-transduction, suggesting the involvement of the transduction mechanism itself. The destruction of the hair base in T(1) caused halving of the original discharge rate and shifted the discharge to a regular interval mode. The activation energy decreased to 38 kJ/mol. The destruction of the hair bases in T(2) and T(3) completely abolished the discharge. It appears that at least two mechanisms are involved in the generation of the resting activity in T(1) units while only one can be assumed in case of T(2) and T(3).