Spatiotemporal analysis of static electric images: a tool to investigate electric flow?
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1
Bielefeld University, Faculty of Biology, Germany
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2
Universidad de la Republica, Facultad de Ciencias, Uruguay
Active electrolocation enables weakly electric fish from the family of the Mormyridae to explore and analyze their environment based on the modulations of the self-generated electric field that are induced by nearby objects. These modulations lead to alterations in the voltage distribution across the body, the so called electric image (EI). Within the skin, these modulations are sensed by a distributed array of electroreceptors. EI properties depend on object material, volume, shape and distance, making the information within different images ambiguous. A feature that has received relatively little attention so far is the degree to which EIs are subjected to changes induced by ego-motions and how known cues extractable from these images under stationary conditions are translated into dynamical cues.
Here we report on a mutual modeling and experimental study of the stimuli available to active electrolocation of Gnathonemus petersii. Comparing experimentally measured 2-dimensional electric images (see figure; A: voltage distribution without object, B: voltage distribution with object, C: voltage distribution modulation = EI) with the results of a theoretical model, we first validate the model by reproducing earlier key findings showing that the ratio of the maximal slope in an EI to the maximal amplitude provide an unambiguous cue for distance estimation. We show that this metric is subjected to systematic changes depending on the body position at which an EI is cast at.
We further extent this approach to the analysis of electric images in temporal space. For this, we relate our analysis to a prominent probing motor act that has been associated with active electrosensory object exploration (termed va-et-vient). We introduce a new temporal metric for distance estimation that is based on the spatial properties of electrical images. This metric might be a useful tool for spatiotemporal analysis of electric images in quasi-natural object exploration sequences which could facilitate the understanding of electric flow in the electrosensory system.
Keywords:
distance estimation,
Electric Fish,
electric image,
gnathonemus,
spatiotemporal analysis
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for participant symposium and student poster award)
Topic:
Sensory: Electrosensory
Citation:
Hofmann
V,
Sanguinetti-Scheck
JI,
Gómez-Sena
L and
Engelmann
J
(2012). Spatiotemporal analysis of static electric images: a tool to investigate electric flow?.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00294
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Received:
30 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Volker Hofmann, Bielefeld University, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld, 33501, Germany, volker.hofmann@mail.mcgill.ca