Peripheral Processing and Coding of Gustatory Input

味觉输入的外围处理和编码

• 批准号: 6955566
• 负责人: Vonnie D.C. Shields
• 金额: $ 20.47万
• 依托单位: TOWSON UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-01 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6955566
• 关键词: Lepidoptera; behavioral /social science research tag; biological signal transduction; chemoreceptors; decision making; eating; electrophysiology; food flavor; neural information processing; taste; taste buds; transmission electron microscopy

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this application is to understand the processing and coding of natural taste stimuli by gustatory receptor cells that are housed in taste organs on the mouthparts of an insect model. Gustatory receptor cells constitute a sensory filter for environmental taste signals and in insects, they transfer information about taste stimuli directly to taste centers in the brain. Therefore, gustatory receptor cells form the first layer of a decision making process that ultimately determines whether food is accepted or rejected by the animal. The major premise of this research is that we know very little about the neural mechanisms that underlie feeding, specifically the ultrastructural organization of the taste apparatus, the neural coding of taste stimuli, or the feeding behavior evoked by these stimuli. The gustatory organs of caterpillars provide an excellent system to address questions about the taste system. These organs form a relatively simple sensory system. Two gustatory organs, each with four putative gustatory receptor cells, are thought to respond to stimuli in different behavioral or ecological contexts. However, taste stimuli can be fairly complex because they can be composed of multimolecular mixtures. The animal faces the task to decipher individual tastants and then to make an appropriate feeding choice. Our research strategy is to first describe the cellular and subcellular organization of taste organs and receptor cells therein. In a second step, we will use feeding behavioral bioassays to test which taste stimuli evoke feeding or food rejection. In a third step, we describe the neural responses of gustatory receptor cells to selected individual taste stimuli, as well as to mixtures, and will correlate the neural and behavioral responses. These studies will provide insights into peripheral taste processing from molecules to behavior in an unprecedented manner.

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请的目的是了解昆虫模型口器上的味觉器官中的味觉受体细胞对自然味觉刺激的处理和编码。味觉受体细胞构成了环境味觉信号的感官过滤器，在昆虫中，它们将味觉刺激的信息直接传递到大脑中的味觉中心。因此，味觉受体细胞构成了决策过程的第一层，最终决定动物是否接受或拒绝食物。本研究的主要前提是我们对进食的神经机制知之甚少，特别是味觉器官的超微结构组织、味觉刺激的神经编码或这些刺激引起的进食行为。毛毛虫的味觉器官提供了一个很好的系统来解决有关味觉系统的问题。这些器官形成了一个相对简单的感觉系统。两个味觉器官，每个都有四个假定的味觉受体细胞，被认为在不同的行为或生态环境下对刺激作出反应。然而，味觉刺激可能相当复杂，因为它们可以由多分子混合物组成。动物面临的任务是破译个体的味觉，然后做出适当的喂养选择。我们的研究策略是首先描述味觉器官和其中的受体细胞的细胞和亚细胞组织。在第二步中，我们将使用进食行为生物测定来测试哪些味觉刺激会引起进食或食物排斥。在第三步中，我们描述了味觉受体细胞对选定的单个味觉刺激的神经反应，以及对混合物的神经反应，并将神经和行为反应联系起来。这些研究将以前所未有的方式提供从分子到行为的周边味觉加工的见解。