Visuomotor Coordination: Amphibians, Comparisons, Models, and RobotsJörg-Peter Ewert, Michael A. Arbib Various brain areas of mammals can phyletically be traced back to homologous structures in amphibians. The amphibian brain may thus be regarded as a kind of "microcosm" of the highly complex primate brain, as far as certain homologous structures, sensory functions, and assigned ballistic (pre-planned and pre-pro grammed) motor and behavioral processes are concerned. A variety of fundamental operations that underlie perception, cognition, sensorimotor transformation and its modulation appear to proceed in primate's brain in a way understandable in terms of basic principles which can be investigated more easily by experiments in amphibians. We have learned that progress in the quantitative description and evaluation of these principles can be obtained with guidance from theory. Modeling - supported by simulation - is a process of transforming abstract theory derived from data into testable structures. Where empirical data are lacking or are difficult to obtain because of structural constraints, the modeler makes assumptions and approximations that, by themselves, are a source of hypotheses. If a neural model is then tied to empirical data, it can be used to predict results and hence again to become subject to experimental tests whose resulting data in tum will lead to further improvements of the model. By means of our present models of visuomotor coordination and its modulation by state-dependent inputs, we are just beginning to simulate and analyze how external information is represented within different brain structures and how these structures use these operations to control adaptive behavior. |
Contents
An Introductory Discussion | 3 |
Stages | 39 |
Configural Properties of Sign Stimuli | 45 |
Copyright | |
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Visuomotor Coordination: Amphibians, Comparisons, Models, and Robots Jorg Peter Ewert,Michael A. Arbib No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
2DG uptake activity afferents amphibians animal antiworm anuran Arbib arousal auditory axons behavior Brain Res Bufo bufo bulbar caudal common toads Comp Physiol configural contralateral coordination correlation cortex dendritic direction discrimination dorsal Ewert J-P excitatory fibers Figure Finkenstädt frequency frog function Grobstein habituation hypoglossal nucleus inhibition inhibitory input interactions interneurons ipsilateral isthmi Lara layer Lázár lesions maps mechanisms medulla medulla oblongata membrane potential metabolic modulation motoneurons movement moving neural neuroethology neurons neuropil Neurosci nucleus object optic tectum orienting pallium pathways perception potential pretectal pretectum prey prey-catching processing projections properties Rana receptive field recognition recorded region response RET stimulation reticular reticular formation robot rostral sensitivity sensorimotor sensory signals snapping spatial spinal stimulus structures studies synaptic Székely T5 base T5 neurons T5.2 neurons tectal tectal cells tectal neurons telencephalon thalamic toad's velocity vertebrates visual field visual system volume Weerasuriya worm
