Translation of odor information into innate olfactory ethanol preference

将气味信息转化为先天嗅觉乙醇偏好

• 批准号: 245734265
• 负责人: Professorin Dr. Henrike Scholz
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: AG Molecular Mechanisms of Addcitive Behaviors
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2012-12-31 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/245734265?language=en
• 关键词: Translation; odor; information; into; innate

The aim of the proposal is to unravel mechanisms in the animal brain underlying approach behavior. In nature animals like treeshrews and the fruit flies prefer fermenting food sources. The ethanol odor emanating from the food source attracts animals over a long range. Previously, we have shown that adult Drosophila melanogaster flies in the lab prefer low ethanol containing food odors similar at concentrations that are also found in nature (Ogueta et al., 2010). In general, odor information has to be processed at different levels before this information is converted into a behavioral response. Initially, the odor has to be perceived and the animal has to evaluate this information in the context of its internal environment. After this step the animal has to decide whether to react to this stimulus or not and whether it will respond with approach behavior. Finally motor programs have to be executed so that the fly indeed reaches the food source. We have previously shown that at least two mechanisms are involved in the decision of an animal to move towards odor source. One mechanism requires olfactory information processing at the level of the receptor neurons and involved the olfactory co-receptor Orco - formally known as Or83b (Schneider et al., 2012). Whether Orco functions in ethanol specific odor recognition or whether Orco is in general required to distinguish similar complex odor mixtures is not know yet and will be investigated in this proposal using neuro-genetic manipulations combined with behavioral experiments. The phenotypic analysis of Tyramine-b-hydroxylase mutants lacking the neurotransmitter octopamine uncovered a second mechanism. Activation of octopaminergic/tyraminergic neurons using opto-genetics increased the likelihood to choose one specific site over another suggesting that the octopaminergic/tyraminergic neurotransmitter system is required for reinforcing mechanisms underlying olfactory ethanol preference and functions in response selection (Schneider et al., 2012). However, where the reinforcer acts in mediating olfactory preference and whether it acts through shifting of attention is not known and will be addressed in this proposal using neuro-anatomical methods and opto-genetic manipulations combined with behavioral experiments. Taken together both approaches will foster our understanding of how behavioral responses are selected from the brain.

该提案的目的是揭示动物大脑接近行为的机制。在自然界中，树鼩和果蝇等动物更喜欢发酵食物来源。食物源散发出的乙醇气味会在很远的范围内吸引动物。此前，我们已经表明，实验室中的成年果蝇更喜欢含有低乙醇的食物气味，其浓度与自然界中也存在类似（Ogueta 等人，2010）。一般来说，气味信息必须在不同级别进行处理，然后才能转换为行为反应。最初，动物必须感知气味，并且必须在其内部环境的背景下评估这些信息。在这一步之后，动物必须决定是否对这种刺激做出反应，以及是否会做出接近行为的反应。最后，必须执行运动程序，以便苍蝇确实到达食物源。我们之前已经表明，至少有两种机制参与动物决定向气味源移动的过程。一种机制需要在受体神经元水平上进行嗅觉信息处理，并涉及嗅觉辅助受体 Orco - 正式名称为 Or83b（Schneider 等人，2012）。 Orco 是否在乙醇特定气味识别中发挥作用，或者 Orco 是否通常需要区分类似的复杂气味混合物尚不清楚，并将在本提案中使用神经遗传学操作结合行为实验进行研究。对缺乏神经递质章鱼胺的酪胺-b-羟化酶突变体的表型分析揭示了第二种机制。使用光遗传学激活章鱼胺能/酪胺能神经元增加了选择一个特定位点而不是另一个的可能性，这表明章鱼胺能/酪胺能神经递质系统是强化嗅觉乙醇偏好和反应选择功能的机制所必需的（Schneider等人，2012）。然而，强化物在调节嗅觉偏好中的作用以及它是否通过注意力转移起作用尚不清楚，并且将在本提案中使用神经解剖方法和光遗传学操作与行为实验相结合来解决。两种方法结合在一起将促进我们对大脑如何选择行为反应的理解。