title: Low-dimensional dynamics in sensory biology 2: facial cold receptors of the rat.
abstract: We report the results of a search for evidence of unstable periodic orbits in the sensory afferents of the facial cold receptors of the rat. Cold receptors are unique in that they exhibit a diversity of action potential firing patterns as well as pronounced transients in firing rate following rapid temperature changes. These characteristics are the result of an internal oscillator operating at the level of the membrane potential. If such oscillators have three or more degree of freedom, and at least one of which also exhibits a nonlinearity, they are potentially capable of complex activity. By detecting the existence of unstable periodic orbits, we demonstrate low-dimensional dynamical behavior whose characteristics depend on the temperature range, impulse pattern, and temperature transients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Marburg, Germany. braun@mailer.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dewald
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Voigt
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dolan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moss
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005145:Face / Q000294:innervation*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D016011:Normal Distribution; D010507:Periodicity; D051381:Rats