Seminar · Computational Neuroscience
Theory and modeling of whisking rhythm generation in the brainstem
David Golomb · Ben Gurion University
Sat, Jan 30, 2021 · 05:00 UTC
The vIRt nucleus in the medulla, composed of mainly inhibitory neurons, is necessary for whisking rhythm generation. It innervates motoneurons in the facial nucleus (FN) that project to intrinsic vibrissa muscles. The nearby pre-Bötzinger complex (pBötC), which generates inhalation, sends inhibitory inputs to the vIRt nucleus which contribute to the synchronization of vIRt neurons. Lower-amplitude periodic whisking, however, can occur after decay of the pBötC signal. To explain how vIRt network generates these “intervening” whisks by bursting in synchrony, and how pBötC input induces strong w