Collaborative Research: Discrimination of Complex Mixtures in Olfactory Signaling

行为学和神经生理学方法的结合将用于研究控制大脑神经元之间连接的机制，以及这种连接如何具体地促进飞蛾和其他动物处理和区分不同气味混合物的能力。这项工作将专门解决与嗅觉系统可塑性有关的问题，使用几种蛾类，包括玉米耳虫和烟草芽虫。研究人员将在不同种类的雄性飞蛾之间移植触角影像盘，以研究昆虫大脑嗅觉结构中感觉神经细胞与中枢神经元类型的相互作用。先前的研究表明，使用这种移植技术挑战昆虫的触角叶会导致意想不到的感觉输入的发展，包括在大脑嗅觉区域以一种新的方式生长的神经元的重新路由，这导致了感觉输入的功能解释的变化。结果表明，感觉和中枢神经通路的识别、引导和靶向调节机制具有相当大的可塑性，从而导致气味质量的神经加工和行为辨别发生变化。目前的奖项将部分解决中央嗅觉投射神经元在天线叶中特定空间位置的生长和发育方面的规范问题。研究人员还将研究新型投射神经元相对于其输出的功能意义。行为学和神经生理学方法的结合将为控制大脑神经元之间连接的机制提供普遍适用的见解。这种方法很重要，因为它涉及一个天然的化学通讯系统，包含昆虫生活史中的相关气味，可以用非常敏感的行为分析和建立的神经解剖学和生理学技术来分析。这项工作是康奈尔大学（Cornell University）和犹他大学（University of Utah）研究人员之间的合作伙伴关系，将包括培训从高中生到本科生的各种人员，以及访问科学家，他们将受益于一个综合的合作研究项目。这些实验的结果将被纳入课堂教学和一般的公众推广活动。

A combination of behavioral and neurophysiological approaches will be used to study the mechanisms that control the wiring of connections between neurons in the brain, and how specifically this wiring contributes to the ability of moths and other animals to process and discriminate amongst different odor mixtures. The work will specifically address questions related to plasticity in the olfactory system, using several moth species including the corn earworm and the tobacco budworm. The investigators will transplant antennal imaginal discs between males of different moth species to study the interactions of sensory nerve cells with central neuronal types in the olfactory structures of the insect brain. Previous studies have shown that challenging the insect antennal lobe using this transplantation technique results in the development of unexpected sensory input, including re-routing of neurons that arborize in a novel fashion in the olfactory area of the brain, which results in changes in functional interpretation of sensory inputs. The results indicate that there is considerable plasticity in the mechanisms regulating the identity, guidance and targeting of sensory and central neuronal pathways, which can result in changes in the neural processing and behavioral discrimination of odor quality. The current award will address in part the specification of central olfactory projection neurons with respect to growth and development in defined spatial locations in the antennal lobe. The investigators will also examine the functional significance of novel projection neurons with respect to their output. The combination of behavioral and neurophysiological approaches to be used will provide generally applicable insights into the mechanisms that control the wiring of connections between neurons in the brain. This approach is of importance because it involves a natural chemical communication system, containing relevant odors in the life-history of the insects, which can be analyzed with very sensitive behavioral assays and established neuroanatomical and physiological techniques. The work is a collaborative partnership between investigators at Cornell University and the University of Utah will involve the training of a variety of personnel from high school students to undergraduates and visiting scientists who will benefit from exposure to an integrative, collaborative research program. Results from these experiments will be incorporated into classroom teaching and general public outreach activities.