Shining new light on sensory brain activation and physiological measurement in seals using wearable optical technology
Date
02/08/2021Author
Grant ID
NE/R015007/1
Agreement R8-H12-86
Keywords
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Sensory ecology and physiology of free-ranging animals is challenging to study but underpins our understanding of decision making in the wild. Existing non-invasive human biomedical technology offers tools that could be harnessed to address these challenges. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a wearable, non-invasive biomedical imaging technique measures oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentration changes that can be used to detect localised neural activation in the brain. We tested the efficacy of fNIRS to detect cortical activation in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and identify regions of the cortex associated with different senses (vision, hearing and touch). Activation of specific cerebral areas in seals was detected by fNIRS in responses to light (vision), sound (hearing) and whisker stimulation (touch). Physiological parameters, including heart and breathing rate, were also extracted from the fNIRS signal, which allowed neural and physiological responses to be monitored simultaneously. This is the first time fNIRS has been used to detect cortical activation in a non-domesticated or laboratory animal. Since fNIRS is non-invasive and wearable, this study demonstrates its potential as a tool to quantitatively investigate sensory perception and brain function while simultaneously recording physiological dynamics that allow calculation of heart rate, tissue and arterial oxygen saturation of haemoglobin, respectively, perfusion changes and breathing rate in free-ranging animals.
Citation
McKnight , C , Ruesch , A , Bennett , K , Bronkhorst , M , Balfour , S T , Moss , S , Milne , R , Tyack , P L , Kainerstorfer , J & Hastie , G D 2021 , ' Shining new light on sensory brain activation and physiological measurement in seals using wearable optical technology ' , Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , vol. 376 , no. 1830 , 20200224 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0224
Publication
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0962-8436Type
Journal article
Description
This project was funded as part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment Programme. Supplementary funding supporting J.C.M. and P.L.T. was provided by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant nos N00014-18-1-2062 and N00014-20-1-2709. Supplementary funding supporting J.K. and A.R. was provided by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant no. N00014-19-1-1223. Assistance in funding for acquisition of the fNIRS system was provided by SMRU Consulting's 10th Anniversary Award.Collections
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