This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2018
A Precise and Portable Gustatory Stimulator
A Precise and Portable Gustatory Stimulator
Gustatory stimulation during neuroscience experiments proves to be exceptionally challenging, as the required stimulus control is non-trivial. We designed a new stimulator that meets the demands of behavioral, EEG/MEG, and neuroimaging (fMRI) studies. The device is based on the ne MESYS syringe pump...
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Personal Name(s): | Höchenberger, Richard |
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Andersen, Camilla A / Alfine, Lorenzo / Ohla, Kathrin | |
Contributing Institute: |
Kognitive Neurowissenschaften; INM-3 |
Imprint: |
2018
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Conference: | XL Annual Meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, Bonita Springs, Florida (USA), 2018-04-20 - 2018-04-20 |
Document Type: |
Abstract |
Research Program: |
(Dys-)function and Plasticity |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Gustatory stimulation during neuroscience experiments proves to be exceptionally challenging, as the required stimulus control is non-trivial. We designed a new stimulator that meets the demands of behavioral, EEG/MEG, and neuroimaging (fMRI) studies. The device is based on the ne MESYS syringe pump system (Cetoni, Korbußen/Germany) and controlled through a Python-based software package. The system is portable and modular and can be equipped with multiple pumps, valves, and digital I/O boards for sending triggers to any laboratory equipment. The pumps deliver stimuli through plastic tubing to commercially available or custom-made mouthpieces or spray heads. Another distinguishing feature is the system’s ability to stimulate either side of the tongue independently. We present latency measurements that highlight the precision and reliability over time using two spray heads placed side-by-side. The delay between triggering the pumps and onset of liquid delivery showed minuscule variation within and across pumps (SDs <2ms and <1ms, resp.). We validated a lateralized setup in a behavioral study using spray heads on either side of a plastic barrier spatially separating the tongue at the midline. 18 participants (p.; median age: 28.6y; 13f) performed two tasks. During the taste task, salty (2% NaCl) stimuli were presented on both or only one side of the tongue, while water was sprayed on the other, and p.s reported the locus of taste stimulation (left, right, both). In the touch task, water was sprayed on both or only one side of the tongue and p.s reported the locus of touch. P.s identified 69% of the taste and 91% of the touch stimulations correctly, corroborating that the liquids did not cross the barrier, and demonstrating the suitability of the stimulator for use in complex experimental setups. |