Olfaction begins with the detection of odorants by olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the nasal cavity. Olfactory transduction is mediated by a G protein–coupled transduction cascade culminating in the opening of the two olfactory transduction ion channels, the olfactory CNG channel and the Ca-activated Cl channel anoctamin 2 (Ano2), and ultimately action potential (AP) generation. The mechan...

We investigated the functional organization of the moth antennal lobe (AL), the primary olfactory network, by integrating single-cell electrophysiological recording data with geometrical information. The moth AL contains about 60 processing units called glomeruli that are identifiable from one animal to another. We were able to monitor the output information of the AL by recording the activity ...

Cultured lobster olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) were surveyed for their odor sensitivity with whole-cell, voltage-clamp recording. The nature of the adequate stimuli, the degree of tuning (response spectra) of the cells, the threshold of sensitivity and the dual polarity of the odor-evoked currents are consistent with chemosensitivity in the cultured ORNs being olfactory. The ability of odor...

Neuronal networks that are directly associated with glomeruli in the olfactory bulb are thought to comprise functional modules. However, this has not yet been experimentally proven. In this study, we explored the anatomical and functional architecture of glomerular modules using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. Surprisingly, the deep portions of the glomerular modules showed considerable spa...

This article presents a biologically inspired model capable of removing concentration effects from the multivariate response of a gas sensor array. The model is based on the first stage of lateral inhibition in the olfactory bulb, which is mediated by periglomerular interneurons. To simulate inputs to the olfactory bulb, signals from a chemosensor array are first processed with a self-organizin...

The manuscript includes 242 words in the Abstract, 6 Figures, no Tables cortex Abbreviations: anterior piriform cortex (APC); current source density (CSD); lateral olfactory tract (LOT); olfactory tubercle (OT) Abstract The olfactory tubercle (OT) is a cortical component of the olfactory system involved in reward mechanisms of drug abuse. This region covers an extensive part of the rostral vent...

ABSTRACT Learning and memory are major cognitive processes strongly tied to the life histories of animals. In ants, chemotactile information generally plays a central role in social interaction, navigation resource exploitation. However, hunters, visual should take special relevance during foraging, thus leading differential use from different sensory modalities. Here, we aimed test whether hun...

The convergence of olfactory axons expressing particular odorant receptor (Or) genes on spatially invariant glomeruli in the brain is one of the most dramatic examples of precise axon targeting in developmental neurobiology. The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which olfactory axons pathfind to their targets are poorly understood. We report here that the SH2/SH3 adapter Dock and the serine/...

The septal organ, a distinct chemosensory organ observed in the mammalian nose, is essentially a small island of olfactory neuroepithelium located bilaterally at the ventral base of the nasal septum. Virtually nothing is known about its physiological properties and function. To understand the nature of the sensory neurons in this area, we studied the mechanisms underlying olfactory signal trans...

Purinergic nucleotides, including ATP and adenosine, are important neuromodulators of peripheral auditory and visual sensory systems (Thorne and Housley, 1996). ATP released by the olfactory epithelium (OE) after noxious stimuli provides a physiological source for a neuromodulatory substance independent of efferent innervation. Here we show that multiple subtypes of purinergic receptors are dif...