Introduction
Most forms of sensory sampling are performed actively [1,2]. Uncovering the general principles that underly active sensing is thus important for fully understanding animal behaviour. In particular, active sensing movements are an integral part of behavioural repertoires. These movements are often performed rhythmically, and some hypothesize that their frequencies match the intrinsic neuronal oscillations of primary processing areas, thereby enhancing information transfer [3]. Here, we investigate the coordination between active sensing movement and sensory signals in a pulse-type weakly electric fish.
Methods
We perform a reanalysis of previously published data [4] of freely-behaving fish in sensory isolation. Simultaneous video and electrical recordings allow for a joint analysis of postural and sensory acquisition dynamics. Behavioural classification is achieved by applying t-SNE to the wavelet spectra of the inter-pulse interval time series. During rhythmic behaviour, this time series exhibit two dominant frequency bands, around 0.5 and 1 Hz, for which we extract narrowband signals. Postural modes during these rhythmic behaviour are extracted by principal component analysis.
Results
By analyzing the pair of narrowband sensory acquisition signals, we find that they exhibit hallmark features of synchronization, including phase slips, where the generalized phase difference jumps by multiples of 2 pi, limit cycles of the phase dynamics on the torus, frequency locking, and a preferred value of the relative cyclic phase.
Discussion
In this work, we analyze a rhythmic motor behaviour of electric fish where the rate at which sensory samples are acquired is itself modulated at frequencies also appearing in the motor pattern. Moreover, we show that this modulation is comprised of several frequency bands that are coupled through synchronization dynamics. This suggest that a shared dynamical template is applied in both the sensory acquisition and movement dynamics.
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References
1. Schroeder, C. E., Wilson, D. A., Radman, T., Scharfman, H., & Lakatos, P. (2010). Dynamics of active sensing and perceptual selection. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 20(2), 172–176.
2. Wachowiak, M. (2011). All in a sniff: Olfaction as a model for active sensing. Neuron, 71(6), 962–973.
3. Haegens, S., & Zion Golumbic, E. (2018). Rhythmic facilitation of sensory processing: A critical review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 86, 150–165.
4. Jun, J. J., Longtin, A., & Maler, L. (2014). Enhanced sensory sampling precedes self-initiated locomotion in an electric fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 217(20), 3615–3628.
Acknowledgement
This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada under Grant No. RGPIN-2022-0 531 4.
