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Acta Physiologica Congress

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Acta Physiologica 2011; Volume 203, Supplement 686
Joint Congress of FEPS and Turkish Society of Physiological Sciences
9/3/2011-9/7/2011
Istanbul, Turkey


ENCODING OF VIBRISSAE MOVEMENT DIRECTION BY MESENCEPHALIC TRIGEMINAL NEURONS
Abstract number: PC156

Mameli1 Ombretta, Mulliri1 Gabriele, Manca1 Paolo, Alessandro Caria1 Marcello, Luigi De Riu1 Pier, Stanzani2 Stefania, Russo2 Antonella, Pellitteri3 Rosalia

1Dept. of Neuroscience, Human Physiology Division, University of Sassari, v.le S. Pietro 43/B, 07100 Sassari, Italy
2Dept. of Physiological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania Italy
3National Research Council, Inst. of Neuroscience, Catania Section, Catania, Italy

Objective: 

It has been recently shown in rats that spontaneous movement of the macrovibrissae, in the air, induces significant changes of spontaneous trigeminal mesencephalic neurons (TMne) electrical activity. Here we report results concerning the TMne electrical activity recorded during mechanical deflection of the macrovibrisse.

Methods: 

Mechanical deflection of the macrovibrisse was performed by a glass stick in forward/backward, backward/forward, down/up and up/down directions.

Results: 

Different patterns of responses were observed in TMne, all characterized by the appearance of firing bursts and/or tonic increase of neuronal activity during vibrissae deflection in one or two specific directions. Preliminary results show that all neurons responded to down/up, while some to up/down directions.

Conclusions: 

Results demonstrated that the TMne are significantly activated also during their mechanical deflection in specific directions, thus it is possible that the TMne are able to encode spatial coordinates of the macrovibrissae. It is known that rats palpate the objects with their whiskers to recognize shapes, size and texture, information that is relayed to the trigeminal brainstem nuclei through the peripheral branch of the Gasser ganglion neurons. Since TMne are extensively connected to the trigeminal nuclei complex, it is possible that these latter identify and locate the objects in the environment by integrating touch information, received by the Gasser's neurons, with spatial information related to the vibrissae position, and detected by the TMne.

To cite this abstract, please use the following information:
Acta Physiologica 2011; Volume 203, Supplement 686 :PC156

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