The tool reconstructs the response of more than 12,500 nerve
fibers with millisecond precision, taking into account the mechanics of the skin as it presses up against and moves across objects.
Bensmaia and his team validated the output of the model against data from a wide variety of experiments conducted by other research teams, and show that it matches their
output with millisecond precision.
«How is it possible that we can react to sensory
stimuli with millisecond precision if intermediate processing elements — on the level of single synapses, single neurons, small networks and even large neural systems — vary significantly in their response to the same repeated stimulus?»
By genetically inserting light - activated biological molecules such as channelrhodopsins, a family of proteins found in algae, into neurons, scientists can instantaneously turn them on using beams of blue
light with millisecond precision.
In some species, the flashing between males occurs rhythmically and repeatedly (synchronically)
with millisecond precision.