The rodent whisker system is a widely used model to study the sense of touch. Its neuroanatomy parallels that of the human, but its mechanics are vastly simplified compared to that of the human tactile system. Just like other modalities with complex sensor accessory structures, the geometry, mechanics, and material properties of the whiskers will have a large effect on the data a rat can acquire through these sensors. In the present work, we provide a detailed characterization of the geometry and mechanics of the whisker both at the level of individual whiskers, as well as at the level of the morphology of the entire whisker array. We perform a meta-analysis of seven studies, with over 500 rat whiskers, to show key relationships between geometric and mechanical parameters of individual whiskers. The present work also introduces an approach to quantify vibrissal array morphology regardless of the number of rows and columns of whiskers, and to quantify the array’s location relative to other sensory structures such as the eyes and mouth. Using this method, we quantify the whisker arrays of the rat, mouse, and harbor seal, and draw comparisons between the three species.

Last modified

• 01/30/2019

Creator

• Hayley Belli

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2WF4K

Subject

• Biomedical Engineering

Keyword

• rat
• mouse
• vibrissa
• seal

Date created

• 2017-01-01

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright