During otic development, Sox-2 establishes pro-sensory competence in the neuroepithelium for the generation of neurons and hair cells by: (1) the direct activation of Atoh1 expression and, (2) the activation of negative regulators of Atoh1 function (Neves et al., 2013).
To date, there is still no skin equivalent that satisfactorily mimics natural skins' functions (or appearance), such as the capability to control body temperature with sweat glands, sensory skills, immune competence, or hair follicles.
This study examines the relationship between social competence and sensory processing in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders.
We show that sensory neurons acquire mechanotransduction competence coincident with peripheral target innervation.
In contrast, most nociceptive sensory neurons acquire mechanosensitive competence as a result of exposure to target-derived NGF.
Little is known about how and when during development different types of sensory neurons acquire transduction competence.
In contrast, most nociceptive (pain sensing) sensory neurons acquire mechanosensitive competence as a result of exposure to target-derived nerve growth factor.
Not surprisingly, musical competence facilitates both sensory memory and conscious cognitive processing of musical sounds, reflected in enhanced brain activity [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6].
Mechanotransduction competence arises in different sensory lineages in waves, coordinated by distinct developmental mechanisms.
The likely culture-dependent nature of this interplay between expressive and sensory cues presents further challenges to our aspirations regarding the competence of robots in the social sphere.
