Olfactory perception and behaviors critically depend on the ability to identify an odor across a wide range of concentrations. Here, we use calcium imaging to determine how odor identity is encoded in olfactory cortex. We find that, despite considerable trial-to-trial variability, odor identity can accurately be decoded from ensembles of co-active neurons that are distributed across piriform co...

Age-related olfactory decline, or presbyosmia, is a prevalent condition with potentially devastating consequences on both quality of life and safety. Despite clear evidence for this decline, it is unknown whether presbyosmia is sex-dependent and also whether it is due to central or peripheral olfactory system deterioration. Therefore, the goals of this study were to investigate the neurofunctio...

Chemicals selectively stimulating the olfactory nerve typically cannot be localized in a lateralization task. Purpose of this study was to investigate whether the ability of subjects to localize an olfactory stimulus delivered passively to 1 of the 2 nostrils would improve under training. Fifty-two young, normosmic women divided in 2 groups participated. One group performed olfactory lateraliza...

Mutations in odorant receptor genes predict olfactory perception of common compounds in foods and flowers. Through recombination they can generate extensive combinatorial variation in sensory ability among individuals.

In mice, trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) are interspersed in the olfactory epithelium and constitute a chemosensory subsystem that is highly specific for detecting volatile amines. Humans possess six putative functional TAAR genes. Human TAAR5 (hTAAR5) is highly expressed in the olfactory mucosa and was shown to be specifically activated by trimethylamine. In this study, we were challe...

Abstract Bilateral convergence of external stimuli is a common feature vertebrate sensory systems. This inputs from the bilateral receptive fields allows higher order perception, such as depth perception in visual system and stimulus localization auditory system. The functional role olfactory unknown. To test whether each bulb (OB) contributes separate piece information, information OB integrat...

Although vision is the de facto model system of consciousness research, studying olfactory consciousness has its own advantages, as this collection of articles emphatically demonstrates. One advantage of olfaction is its computational and phenomenological simplicity, which facilitates the identification of basic principles. Other researchers study olfactory consciousness not because of its simp...

IMPORTANCE The prevalence of olfactory impairment is high in older adults, and this decline in olfactory ability may pose health and safety risks, affect nutrition, and decrease quality of life. It is important to identify modifiable risk factors to reduce the burden of olfactory impairment in aging populations. OBJECTIVE To determine if exercise is associated with the 10-year cumulative inci...

Smell, the most ancient of all senses, is crucial for animal reproduction and survival. Humans can detect the most minute changes in odorant structures as a different perceived odor. Despite its significance, the mechanism of olfactory sensory perception remained unknown before 1991. Through research in my lab and others, we discovered a large multigene family containing approximately 1000 gene...


 
 In
olfaction,
the
olfactory
sensory
neuron
(OSN)
is
the
point
where
chemical
 environment
activates
an
electrochemical
signaling
that
will
result
in
odor
 perception.
The
OSNs
in
the
main
olfactory
epithelium
are
part
of
a
four
part
 olfactory
system
that
provides
chemical
sensory
information,
and
can
alter
behavior
 through
odor
recognition,
pheromone
detection,
and
memory
retrieval.

 
 H...