Esprits non-humains: cognition animale, artificielle ou autre
Cognitio 2011
Colloque jeunes chercheurs en sciences cognitives
Montréal, les 3, 4, et 5 juillet 2011.
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How do vibrissae contribute to the non-human mind ?
Lune Maheu
Abstract:
The vibrissae of mammals, sometimes referred to as tactile hairs, or whiskers, are the tactile sensory apparatus of some mammals whose role and function covers many areas from wind direction perception to aggression signals. We present an overview from the current knowledge and understanding of the vibrissae in mammals and some of the questions remaining unanswered.
What functions do we know the vibrissae accomplish? The refinement appears to include texture perception, and minuscule movements. What more than tactile perception is the vibrissae used for? Vibrissae have been observed to be used by mammals to refine spatial representation. A team from the Cognitive Neuroscience Sector, (SISSA) of Trieste demonstrated evidence about how the brain constructs a representation of the surrounding world through vibrissae-mediated sense of touch. (Diamond, von Heimendahl, et al. 2008). Focusing on the hypothesis and observations about the spatial processing in the primates with vibrissae, we wonder: if a blind human can hear better than a seeing one due to the extraordinary plasticity of the brain, does the same phenomenon occur with vibrissae?
What else are the vibrissae used for other than to produce a spatial representation? Could a well formalized vibrissae enhanced spatial representation inspire better algorithms for robotic movement autonomy? Is the input from the vibrissae treated and processed locally from other manual tactile inputs? Have we observed sharing between mammals of a group based on information perceived by their vibrissae? If we could build a robot emulating the behaviour of a mammal with vibrissae, how do we describe the processing from the vibrissae to reproduce that perception?
Mammal vibrissae is an interesting topic for comparison since some species have individuals with and some without: the chimpanzee have small facial whiskers vibrissae but the bonobo have none. Why did adaptation remove the vibrissae in humans? Do mammals without vibrissae jump better or worse than their same species with vibrissae? Do the mammals exclude perceptions from the vibrissae when they are disabled or wet? How do the primates with vibrissae process tactile sensory perception differently than the primates without? Can we tell how visual representation adapted to the loss of vibrissae?
How does the evolution of that part of the body relate to the evolution of the mind? A team at the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University have used the recent whole-genome comparisons for identifying human and primate differences. They found evidence to claim evolutionary adaptation that resulted in the loss of the vibrissae also removed a hindrance on the expansion of brain tissues. While we do not know why the vibrissae and the growth of brain tissues are linked, the team has discovered a correlation. (McLean, Reno and Pollen 2011, Stanford)
The understanding of the vibrissae’s various role and why adaptation made them disappear in humans is not complete. If the study of vibrissae can shed some light on the comparisons of minds of the primates who lost their vibrissae compared to those who retained them, what are we waiting for?
McLean, Reno, Pollen et al. 2011. Human-specific loss of regulatory DNA and the evolution of human-specific traits. Nature, 471:216-9.
Diamond ME, von Heimendahl M, Knutsen PM, Kleinfeld D, Ahissar E., 'Where' and 'what' in the whisker sensorimotor system.,Nat Rev Neurosci., 2008 Aug;9(8):601-12.
What functions do we know the vibrissae accomplish? The refinement appears to include texture perception, and minuscule movements. What more than tactile perception is the vibrissae used for? Vibrissae have been observed to be used by mammals to refine spatial representation. A team from the Cognitive Neuroscience Sector, (SISSA) of Trieste demonstrated evidence about how the brain constructs a representation of the surrounding world through vibrissae-mediated sense of touch. (Diamond, von Heimendahl, et al. 2008). Focusing on the hypothesis and observations about the spatial processing in the primates with vibrissae, we wonder: if a blind human can hear better than a seeing one due to the extraordinary plasticity of the brain, does the same phenomenon occur with vibrissae?
What else are the vibrissae used for other than to produce a spatial representation? Could a well formalized vibrissae enhanced spatial representation inspire better algorithms for robotic movement autonomy? Is the input from the vibrissae treated and processed locally from other manual tactile inputs? Have we observed sharing between mammals of a group based on information perceived by their vibrissae? If we could build a robot emulating the behaviour of a mammal with vibrissae, how do we describe the processing from the vibrissae to reproduce that perception?
Mammal vibrissae is an interesting topic for comparison since some species have individuals with and some without: the chimpanzee have small facial whiskers vibrissae but the bonobo have none. Why did adaptation remove the vibrissae in humans? Do mammals without vibrissae jump better or worse than their same species with vibrissae? Do the mammals exclude perceptions from the vibrissae when they are disabled or wet? How do the primates with vibrissae process tactile sensory perception differently than the primates without? Can we tell how visual representation adapted to the loss of vibrissae?
How does the evolution of that part of the body relate to the evolution of the mind? A team at the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University have used the recent whole-genome comparisons for identifying human and primate differences. They found evidence to claim evolutionary adaptation that resulted in the loss of the vibrissae also removed a hindrance on the expansion of brain tissues. While we do not know why the vibrissae and the growth of brain tissues are linked, the team has discovered a correlation. (McLean, Reno and Pollen 2011, Stanford)
The understanding of the vibrissae’s various role and why adaptation made them disappear in humans is not complete. If the study of vibrissae can shed some light on the comparisons of minds of the primates who lost their vibrissae compared to those who retained them, what are we waiting for?
McLean, Reno, Pollen et al. 2011. Human-specific loss of regulatory DNA and the evolution of human-specific traits. Nature, 471:216-9.
Diamond ME, von Heimendahl M, Knutsen PM, Kleinfeld D, Ahissar E., 'Where' and 'what' in the whisker sensorimotor system.,Nat Rev Neurosci., 2008 Aug;9(8):601-12.