Encoding of behaviorally relevant olfactory stimuli

哺乳动物已经进化出了双重嗅觉系统来检测大量的气味和信息素， 并将化学信息转化为不同的感知和不同的行为。最近的研究 表明主嗅觉系统和辅助嗅觉系统都参与检测一般气味 和信息素，但每个系统在介导不同的嗅觉行为中的不同作用仍然存在， 被定性。此外，尽管在理解气味检测方面取得了相当大的进展，但感官 在这两个系统中的信号转导和信息编码，既不是气味刺激，引起不同的嗅觉 行为和调节气味特异性神经和内分泌反应的大脑神经通路 被明确定义。这项提案将发展分子技术来识别气味或信息素 由行为相关的嗅觉刺激激活的受体，以测试生物学上 显著的嗅觉刺激由气味或信息素受体的不同子集检测。识别 的行为激活受体将允许未来的研究：1）筛选不同的气味馏分， 单个气味组分以揭示生物学上显著的嗅觉刺激的身份，2）解剖 两个嗅觉系统在调节特定嗅觉行为中的相对作用，以及3）描述如何 来自这些受体的信号在大脑中传递以调节不同的行为。许多嗅觉行为 是健壮和刻板的，而调节这些行为反应的神经回路在很大程度上是 基因决定的。了解神经基质介导这些先天行为将有助于我们的研究。 对正常人类行为以及自闭症等神经发育障碍的理解， 精神分裂症和毒瘾。

Mammals have evolved dual olfactory systems to detect a vast number of odorants as well as pheromones, and to translate chemical information into diverse perceptions and distinct behaviors. Recent studies have shown that both the main and the accessory olfactory systems are involved in detecting both general odors and pheromones, but the distinct roles of each system in mediating different olfactory behaviors remain to be characterized. In addition, despite considerable progress in understanding odor detection, sensory transduction and information coding in both systems, neither the odor stimuli that elicit distinct olfactory behaviors nor the brain neural pathways that mediate odor-specific neural and endocrine responses have been clearly defined. This proposal will develop molecular techniques to identify odorant or pheromone receptors activated by behaviorally relevant olfactory stimuli to test the hypothesis that biologically significant olfactory stimuli are detected by distinct subsets of odorant or pheromone receptors. Identification of behaviorally-activated receptors will allow future studies to: 1) screen different odor fractions and individual odor components to reveal the identity of biologically significant olfactory stimuli, 2) dissect the relative roles of the two olfactory systems in regulating specific olfactory behaviors, and 3) characterize how signals from these receptors are routed in the brain to regulate distinct behaviors. Many olfactory behaviors are robust and stereotyped, and the neural circuits mediating these behavioral responses are largely genetically determined. Knowledge of the neuronal substrates mediating these innate behaviors will aid our understanding of normal human behavior as well as neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and drug addiction.