2015-16: CCNS: Neuromuscular Control and Collective Behavior Workshop: January 13-15, 2016

Workshop Information

When: January 13, 2016 - January 15, 2016

Workshop was held at SAMSI

Swimming, flying, and maneuvering requires sensing the environment and

controlling the movement accordingly. In most animals, the nervous system is

a fundamental component of actuating movement. The goal of this workshop is

to develop a preliminary model of the activation of muscles by motor neurons

and the resulting effect on locomotion. In general, the strength of the

muscular response is proportional to the frequency of action potentials

conducted along motor neurons combined with the fraction of motor neurons

that are entrained to activate individual muscle fibers. The mapping of

motor neuron signal to muscle response can vary greatly across organisms and

between muscle types. The details of this mapping, particularly in terms of

the dynamical response, will be a focus of the modeling efforts.

SAMSI Directorate Liaison: Tom Witelski

Workshop Organizers:

Katie Newhall, University of North Carolina

Laura Miller, University of North Carolina