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Insights into the Dual Role of Inflammation after Spinal Cord Injury
Item type: Other Journal Item
Rust, Ruslan; Kaiser, Julia (2017)
Perception and Cognition in Absolute Pitch: Distinct yet Inseparable
Item type: Other Journal Item
Leipold, Simon; Greber, Marielle; Elmer, Stefan (2019)
Calpain-Dependent Degradation of Nucleoporins Contributes to Motor Neuron Death in a Mouse Model of Chronic Excitotoxicity
Item type: Journal Article
Sugiyama, Kaori; Aida, Tomomi; Nomura, Masatoshi; et al. (2017)
Aberrant Somatosensory Processing and Connectivity in Mice Lacking Engrailed-2
Item type: Journal Article
Chelini, Gabriele; Zerbi, Valerio; Cimino, Luca; et al. (2019)
Overreactivity and defensive behaviors in response to tactile stimuli are common symptoms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Similarly, somatosensory hypersensitivity has also been described in mice lacking ASD-associated genes such as Fmr1 (fragile X mental retardation protein 1). Fmr1 knock-out mice also show reduced functional connectivity between sensory cortical areas, which may represent an endogenous biomarker for their hypersensitivity. Here, we measured whole-brain functional connectivity in Engrailed-2 knock-out (En2−/−) adult mice, which show a lower expression of Fmr1 and anatomical defects common to Fmr1 knock-outs. MRI-based resting-state functional connectivity in adult En2−/− mice revealed significantly reduced synchronization in somatosensory-auditory/associative cortices and dorsal thalamus, suggesting the presence of aberrant somatosensory processing in these mutants. Accordingly, when tested in the whisker nuisance test, En2−/− but not WT mice of both sexes showed fear behavior in response to repeated whisker stimulation. En2−/− mice undergoing this test exhibited decreased c-Fos-positive neurons (a marker of neuronal activity) in layer IV of the primary somatosensory cortex and increased immunoreactive cells in the basolateral amygdala compared with WT littermates. Conversely, when tested in a sensory maze, En2−/− and WT mice spent a comparable time in whisker-guided exploration, indicating that whisker-mediated behaviors are otherwise preserved in En2 mutants. Therefore, fearful responses to somatosensory stimuli in En2−/− mice are accompanied by reduced basal connectivity of sensory regions, reduced activation of somatosensory cortex, and increased activation of the basolateral amygdala, suggesting that impaired somatosensory processing is a common feature in mice lacking ASD-related genes.
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
Overreactivity to tactile stimuli is a common symptom in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Recent studies performed in mice bearing ASD-related mutations confirmed these findings. Here, we evaluated the behavioral response to whisker stimulation in mice lacking the ASD-related gene Engrailed-2 (En2−/− mice). Compared with WT controls, En2−/− mice showed reduced functional connectivity in the somatosensory cortex, which was paralleled by fear behavior, reduced activation of somatosensory cortex, and increased activation of the basolateral amygdala in response to repeated whisker stimulation. These results suggest that impaired somatosensory signal processing is a common feature in mice harboring ASD-related mutations.
Tactile perception through fluid–solid interaction
Item type: Journal Article
Goshtasbi, Arman; Berghuis, Minke; Parvaresh, Aida; et al. (2026)
Soft tactile sensors elevate robotic touch through enhanced flexibility and adaptability, yet most existing designs depend on embedded electronics that are susceptible to interference and environmental limitations. In this work, we leverage fluid–solid interactions to develop a class of soft tactile sensors that operate entirely without electronics at the sensing site. The sensor comprises a fluid-filled elastomeric channel connected to only two external pressure sensors. Touching different regions of the elastomeric surface displaces the viscous fluid, producing distinct pressure patterns that encode both touch position and force. These signals are decoded through a machine learning framework that integrates feature extraction, soft clustering, and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference to achieve accurate localization and force estimation. We validate this concept through single-point touch localization and force estimation in a linear (1D) sensor and extend the same sensing principle to 2D tactile mapping by routing the channel across the surface using space-filling curves, while maintaining the same minimal hardware setup. This simple approach remains effective in environments where conventional electronic sensors often fail, such as underwater or in the presence of magnetic interference.