title: Sniffing and whisking in rodents.
abstract: Sniffing and whisking are two rhythmic orofacial motor activities that enable rodents to localize and track objects in their environment. They have related temporal dynamics, possibly as a result of both shared musculature and shared sensory tasks. Sniffing and whisking also constitute the overt expression of an animal's anticipation of a reward. Yet, the neuronal mechanisms that underlie the control of these behaviors have not been established. Here, we review the similarities between sniffing and whisking and suggest that such similarities indicate a mechanistic link between these two rhythmic exploratory behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Québec City G1J 2G3, Canada. martin.deschenes@crulrg.ulaval.ca
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deschênes
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kleinfeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000502:physiology*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology