EMG spike time difference based feedback control

Flight control in insects has been studied extensively; however the underlying neural mechanisms are not fully understood. Output from the central nervous system (CNS) must drive wing phase shifts and flight muscle depressor asymmetries associated with adaptive flight maneuvers. These maneuvers will, in turn, influence the insect´s sensory environment, thus closing the feedback loop. We present a novel method that utilizes asymmetrical timing of bilateral depressor muscles, the forewing first basalars (m97), of the locust to close a visual feedback loop in a computer-generated flight simulator. The method converts the time difference between left and right m97s to analog voltage values. These voltage values can be obtained using open-loop experiments (visual motion controlled by the experimenter), or can be used to control closed-loop experiments (muscle activity controls the visual stimuli) experiments. Electromyographic (EMG) signals were obtained from right and left m97 muscles; spike time difference between them was calculated and converted to voltage values. Testing this circuit with real animals, we were able to detect the spike time difference and convert that to voltage that controlled the presentation of a stimulus in a closed-loop environment. This method may be used in conjunction with the flight simulator to understand the manner in which sensory information is integrated with the activity of the flight circuitry to study the neural control of this complex behaviour.