Topic: sensorimotor integration

It is common for animals to use self-generated movements to actively sense the surrounding environment. For instance, rodents rhythmically move their whiskers to explore the space close to their body. The mouse whisker system has become a standard model to study active sensing and sensorimotor integration through feedback loops. In this work, we developed a bioinspired spiking neural network model of the sensorimotor peripheral whisker system, modelling trigeminal ganglion, trigeminal nuclei, facial nuclei, and central pattern generator neuronal populations. This network was embedded in a virt

Speech impairment is reported among 70% of the Parkinson’s disease (PD) population, deeply impacting individual quality of life and social costs. Because of the lack of efficacy of pharmacological and DBS treatments, we developed an experimental protocol based on the Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to study the role that such treatments have on electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations. We enrolled 10 PD patients affected by speech disorders who underwent the 1-month LSVT protocol coupled with tDCS over the right Superior Temporal Gyrus (r

Virtual reality (VR) technologies allow to reproduce the working process. Forming the correct dynamics, personification of training and quality control can be solved using the haptic technology. We hypothesized that the use of haptic stimulation technology in combination with VR simulation of a working process will increase the efficiency of learning. Our aim was to investigate the effects of haptic electrical stimulation on motor learning and corresponding brain activity. The learning was carried out in a VR simulator with a full-body haptic suit (Teslasuit, https://teslasuit.io) to reinforce