Shining new light on sensory brain activation and physiological measurement in seals using wearable optical technology

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 (fN...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences 2021-08, Vol.376 (1830), p.20200224
Main Authors: McKnight, J Chris, Ruesch, Alexander, Bennett, Kimberley, Bronkhorst, Mathijs, Balfour, Steve, Moss, Simon E W, Milne, Ryan, Tyack, Peter L, Kainerstorfer, Jana M, Hastie, Gordon D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping - instrumentation
Physiology - instrumentation
Seals, Earless - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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 deoxyhaemoglobin concentration changes that can be used to detect localized neural activation in the brain. We tested the efficacy of fNIRS to detect cortical activation in grey seals ( ) and identify regions of the cortex associated with different senses (vision, hearing and touch). The 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, to our knowledge, the first time fNIRS has been used to detect cortical activation in a non-domesticated or laboratory animal. Because 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 heart rate, tissue and arterial oxygen saturation of haemoglobin, perfusion changes and breathing rate in free-ranging animals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)'.
ISSN:0962-8436
1471-2970
1471-2970
DOI:10.1098/rstb.2020.0224