Goodwin Lab ~ Whisker System

The whisker sensory system: processing information about the environment

Whiskers, and their associated neural substrate, represent a highly evolved sensory system which has remarkable power and sensitivity. In rats, a highly successful and predominantly nocturnal mammalian species, it is the sense that allows navigation in confined and complex spaces, and permits the detection and recognition of objects in the environment. In aquatic animals like seals, the whisker system mediates precise tracking of moving prey.

Rat whisker array.

Our overall aim is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying this powerful sensory capacity by combining behavioural studies, matching neurophysiological experiments, and computational analysis. We are recording the responses of cells in the trigeminal ganglia to complex stimuli such as would occur in their natural environment (shapes and textures). Using identical stimuli, we will record from barrel cortex in collaboration with Assoc Prof Rajan at Monash University . Ultimately this will form the foundation for a more comprehensive understanding of the neural transformations that occur in sensory systems.

Our approach promotes cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines: neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience and represents a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system. It also has implications for robotics research as the amazing capacities of rodents, seals and other animals, has promoted the development of a number of robots based on artificial whisker systems. That work draws on knowledge gained from the biological sciences.