Forebrain Processing of Biologically Relevant Odor Information

前脑处理生物相关气味信息

• 批准号: 0314970
• 负责人: John Caprio
• 金额: $ 47.85万
• 依托单位: Louisiana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-09-01 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0314970&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Forebrain; Processing; Biologically; Relevant; Odor

Olfactory information comes into the brain from the level of the olfactory receptor neurons to the first processing center of the forebrain, the olfactory bulb. However, functional information as to how odors are processed at more central neural levels is fragmentary at best. A key question is how information about biologically relevant odors is handled by the cerebral lobes, after arriving via the olfactory tracts from the olfactory bulbs. The channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, a teleost fish, is the only vertebrate species for which there is a clear correlation across the morphological type of olfactory receptor neuron, the specific molecular transduction system, the type of biologically relevant odor detected, and the local portion of the olfactory bulb used to process this information. This project uses electrophysiological recording by multi-electrode methods as well as single electrodes, to determine whether biologically relevant odors of amino acids, bile salts, and nucleotides are represented in by local activity showing an 'odotopic' map in the cerebral lobes as they are in the olfactory bulb; to determine the response properties of odor-responsive neurons within the cerebral lobes; and to determine whether the odor-induced synchrony of activity seen in olfactory receptor neurons modulates odor responses within the cerebral lobes. Results will provide a new level of understanding higher-level processing of olfactory information in vertebrates, and will provide an evolutionary and comparative perspective on how odors are processed in cortical neurons. The issue of synchronous oscillating activity is relevant to computational and theoretical models of brain function. Because teleost fish comprise the largest number of vertebrate species, and are economically important worldwide, this work has importance beyond neuroscience to comparative physiology and ecology, and to aquaculture. Finally, this project promotes the teaching and training of postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students, including those from under-served groups, in an EPSCoR-designated state.

嗅觉信息从嗅觉受体神经元水平进入大脑，到达前脑的第一个处理中心--嗅球。 然而，关于气味如何在更多的中枢神经水平上被处理的功能信息充其量是零碎的。 一个关键的问题是，有关生物相关气味的信息是如何通过嗅球的嗅束到达后，由大脑脑叶处理的。癍点叉尾鮰是一种硬骨鱼，是唯一一种在嗅觉受体神经元的形态类型、特定的分子转导系统、检测到的生物相关气味的类型以及用于处理这些信息的嗅球的局部部分之间存在明确相关性的脊椎动物物种。该项目使用多电极方法以及单电极的电生理记录，以确定氨基酸、胆汁盐和核苷酸的生物相关气味是否通过局部活动来表示，其在脑叶中显示“嗅觉”图，就像它们在嗅球中一样;以确定脑叶内气味响应神经元的响应特性;并确定在嗅觉受体神经元中观察到的气味诱导的活动同步是否调节大脑叶内的气味反应。 结果将提供一个新的水平的理解更高层次的嗅觉信息在脊椎动物的处理，并将提供一个进化和比较的角度如何气味在皮层神经元处理。同步振荡活动的问题与大脑功能的计算和理论模型有关。由于硬骨鱼是脊椎动物中数量最多的物种，在世界范围内具有重要的经济意义，因此这项工作的重要性超出了神经科学，涉及比较生理学和生态学以及水产养殖。最后，该项目促进了博士后，研究生和本科生的教学和培训，包括那些来自服务不足的群体，在EPSCoR指定的状态。