Using Control Theory to Characterize Active Sensing in Weakly Electric Fishes

Animals routinely use their own motor outputs to modulate the sensory information they perceive, a process termed “active sensing.” This chapter highlights the use of control theoretic approaches to reveal the functional relationships between active sensing, task-related behaviors, sensing, and motor control. Specifically, recently developed experimental systems use artificially controlled feedback loops to perturb natural reafferent feedback in freely behaving animals. Such perturbations allow quantitative and systematic descriptions of control strategies for active sensing.