 |
The Journal of Neuroscience, March 31, 2004, 24(13):3386-3393; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5151-03.2004
 Previous Article | Next Article 
Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Fiber Types of the Intrinsic Whisker Muscle and Whisking Behavior
Tae-Eun Jin,
Veit Witzemann, and
Michael Brecht
Department of Cell Physiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Some rodent species show rhythmic bouts of vibrissal protractions and retractions, referred to as whisking, that are among the fastest movements performed by mammals. To better understand the muscular basis of whisking, we compared (1) whisker movements of two whisking species (mouse, rat) and a non-whisking species (guinea pig), (2) the muscle fiber composition of intrinsic whisker muscles of whisking and a non-whisking species, and (3) the muscle fiber composition of intrinsic whisker muscles and of selected skeletal muscles. Using high-speed videography, we found that mice, rats, and guinea pigs can generate fast and large-amplitude whisker movements. Guinea pigs do not show bouts of fast, strictly rhythmic whisker movements, and the average speed of their whisker movements is much lower than in mice and rats. Analysis of mRNA expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms, myofibrillar ATPase staining, and antibody labeling indicate that in all three species intrinsic whisker muscles are composed predominantly of type 2B muscle fibers. Intrinsic whisker muscles of mice consisted of type 2B ( 90%) and type 2D fibers. In rats we observed, in addition to type 2B/2D fibers,  10% of slow type 1 fibers, and in guinea pigs we observed 3% of slow type 1 fibers and 20% of type 2A fibers. Type 2B fibers have high levels of anaerobic glycolytic enzymes providing a rapid source of ATP and high maximum velocity of contraction but are less fatigue resistant than other muscle fiber types. The high percentage of type 2B fibers distinguishes the intrinsic whisker musculature from skeletal muscles and may have evolved for fast scanning of the sensory environment.
Key words: whisker; vibrissas; whisking; muscle fiber; barrel cortex; myosin heavy chain
Received Nov 21, 2003;
revised February 25, 2004;
accepted February 25, 2004.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
V. Khatri, R. Bermejo, J. C. Brumberg, A. Keller, and H. P. Zeigler
Whisking in Air: Encoding of Kinematics by Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons in Awake Rats
J Neurophysiol,
April 1, 2009;
101(4):
1836 - 1846.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. Toscano-Marquez, E. Martinez-Martinez, E. Manjarrez, L. Martinez, J. Mendoza-Torreblanca, and G. Gutierrez-Ospina
Late onset muscle plasticity in the whisker pad of enucleated rats
PNAS,
October 14, 2008;
105(41):
15973 - 15978.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Voigts, B. Sakmann, and T. Celikel
Unsupervised Whisker Tracking in Unrestrained Behaving Animals
J Neurophysiol,
July 1, 2008;
100(1):
504 - 515.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. J. Herfst and M. Brecht
Whisker Movements Evoked by Stimulation of Single Motor Neurons in the Facial Nucleus of the Rat
J Neurophysiol,
June 1, 2008;
99(6):
2821 - 2832.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Simony, I. Saraf-Sinik, D. Golomb, and E. Ahissar
Sensation-Targeted Motor Control: Every Spike Counts? Focus on: "Whisker Movements Evoked by Stimulation of Single Motor Neurons in the Facial Nucleus of the Rat"
J Neurophysiol,
June 1, 2008;
99(6):
2757 - 2759.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. N. Hill, R. Bermejo, H. P. Zeigler, and D. Kleinfeld
Biomechanics of the Vibrissa Motor Plant in Rat: Rhythmic Whisking Consists of Triphasic Neuromuscular Activity
J. Neurosci.,
March 26, 2008;
28(13):
3438 - 3455.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Celikel and B. Sakmann
Sensory integration across space and in time for decision making in the somatosensory system of rodents
PNAS,
January 23, 2007;
104(4):
1395 - 1400.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. R. Buss, T. W. Gould, J. Ma, S. Vinsant, D. Prevette, A. Winseck, K. A. Toops, J. A. Hammarback, T. L. Smith, and R. W. Oppenheim
Neuromuscular Development in the Absence of Programmed Cell Death: Phenotypic Alteration of Motoneurons and Muscle
J. Neurosci.,
December 27, 2006;
26(52):
13413 - 13427.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. Anjum, H. Turni, P. G. H. Mulder, J. van der Burg, and M. Brecht
Tactile guidance of prey capture in Etruscan shrews
PNAS,
October 31, 2006;
103(44):
16544 - 16549.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. F. Civillico and D. Contreras
Integration of Evoked Responses in Supragranular Cortex Studied With Optical Recordings In Vivo
J Neurophysiol,
July 1, 2006;
96(1):
336 - 351.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
V. Grinevich, M. Brecht, and P. Osten
Monosynaptic Pathway from Rat Vibrissa Motor Cortex to Facial Motor Neurons Revealed by Lentivirus-Based Axonal Tracing
J. Neurosci.,
September 7, 2005;
25(36):
8250 - 8258.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Brecht
What Makes Whiskers Shake? Focus on "Current Flow in Vibrissa Motor Cortex Can Phase-Lock With Exploratory Rhythmic Whisking in Rat"
J Neurophysiol,
September 1, 2004;
92(3):
1265 - 1266.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
