Computational Models for SA, RA, PC Afferent to Reproduce Neural Responses to Dynamic Stimulus Using FEM Analysis and a Leaky Integrate-and-Fire Model

TL;DR

This paper presents a computational approach combining FEM analysis and leaky integrate-and-fire models to simulate tactile afferent responses to dynamic stimuli, enabling neural activity estimation without biological measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a novel computational model for tactile afferents that integrates FEM skin deformation analysis with neural modeling, validated against various vibration stimuli.

Findings

Models accurately reproduce neural responses to sinusoidal stimuli

Models effectively simulate responses to diharmonic stimuli

Models successfully respond to white-noise-like stimuli

Abstract

Tactile afferents such as (RA), and Pacinian (PC) afferents that respond to external stimuli enable complicated actions such as grasping, stroking and identifying an object. To understand the tactile sensation induced by these actions deeply, the activities of the tactile afferents need to be revealed. For this purpose, we develop a computational model for each tactile afferent for vibration stimuli, combining finite element analysis finite element method (FEM) analysis and a leaky integrate-and-fire model that represents the neural characteristics. This computational model can easily estimate the neural activities of the tactile afferents without measuring biological data. Skin deformation calculated using FEM analysis is substituted into the integrate-and-fire model as current input to calculate the membrane potential of each tactile afferent. We optimized parameters in the integrate-and-fire models using reported biological data. Then, we calculated the responses of the numerical models to sinusoidal, diharmonic, and white-noise-like mechanical stimuli to validate the proposed numerical models. From the result, the computational models well reproduced the neural responses to vibration stimuli such as sinusoidal, diharmonic, and noise stimuli and compare favorably with the similar computational models that can simulate the responses to vibration stimuli.