Combinatorial Effects of Odorant Mixes in Olfactory Cortex
Combinatorial Effects of Odorant Mixes in Olfactory Cortex
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1124755
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发表时间：
2006-03
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Zhihua Zou;L. Buck
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Zhihua Zou;L. Buck
在哺乳动物中，每种气味都是由不同气味感受器的组合来检测的。来自不同类型感受器的信号在鼻子和嗅球中分离，但似乎在嗅皮层中的单个神经元中合并。在这里，我们报告了二元气味混合物刺激大脑皮层神经元，而不是由它们各自的气味成分刺激。我们认为，皮质神经元需要受体输入的组合才能激活，而将两种气味的受体密码合并提供了新颖的受体输入组合，除了由单一气味激活的神经元外，还可以刺激神经元。这些发现可能解释了为什么混合气味可以在人类身上引发新的气味感知。
In mammals, each odorant is detected by a combination of different odorant receptors. Signals from different types of receptors are segregated in the nose and the olfactory bulb, but appear to be combined in individual neurons in the olfactory cortex. Here, we report that binary odorant mixes stimulate cortical neurons that are not stimulated by their individual component odorants. We propose that cortical neurons require combinations of receptor inputs for activation and that merging the receptor codes of two odorants provides novel combinations of receptor inputs that stimulate neurons beyond those activated by the single odorants. These findings may explain why odorant mixtures can elicit novel odor percepts in humans.