The role of vasopressin in olfactory processing

嗅球是脊椎动物前脑中与嗅觉和气味感知有关的部分。在这个庞大而复杂的结构中，来自鼻子的嗅觉信号被处理，信息处理的结果通过嗅觉束传递到与行为和记忆有关的大脑区域。这就是为什么当我们闻到某种东西时，它通常会唤起与该物体有关的记忆。我们的工作集中在嗅球内新发现的释放神经肽抗利尿激素的神经细胞上。了解抗利尿激素的作用是很重要的，因为抗利尿激素在大脑中作用，影响社会行为，包括社会识别、配对结合、性行为和攻击。这项提议的目的是了解抗利尿激素如何在气味感知水平上影响嗅球内的行为和记忆。其他神经细胞释放多肽，它们对其他情绪和行为有影响，这引起了广泛的关注，因为多肽模拟物可能对特定行为障碍有治疗价值。

The olfactory bulb is the part of the vertebrate forebrain that is involved in olfaction, the perception of odours. In this large and complex structure, olfactory signals from the nose are processed, and the results of this information processing are conveyed via the olfactory tract to brain areas involved with behavior and memory. That is why when we smell something, it often brings back memories associated with the object. Our work is focused on newly discovered nerve cells within the olfactory bulb that release the neuropeptide vasopressin. It is important to understand the role of vasopressin, because vasopressin acts in the brain to affect social behaviours, including social recognition, pair bonding, sexual behaviour and aggression. The aim of this proposal is to understand how vasopressin affects behaviour and memory within the olfactory bulb at the level of odour perception. Other nerve cells release peptides and they have effects on other emotions and behaviours and this has attracted wide attention because peptide mimetics may be valuable therapeutically for particular behavioural disorders.