Optical imaging of the input and output of the olfactory bulb

描述（由申请人提供）：检测和区分数千种不同气味的能力始于嗅觉刺激激活受体神经元群，这些神经元发送轴突投射，最终到达位于嗅球表面的称为肾小球的神经区域。二尖瓣/簇状神经元是嗅球的主要输出神经元，其初级顶端树突延伸至由嗅觉受体轴突末梢支配的肾小球簇状神经元。不同气味的激活在空间上是不同的

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ability to detect and discriminate between thousands of different odorants begins with olfactory stimuli activating ensembles of receptor neurons that send axonal projections terminating in neuropil regions called glomeruli located on the surface of the olfactory bulb. Mitral/tufted neurons are the primary output neurons of the olfactory bulb, and have primary apical dendrites that extend into the glomerular tufts that are innervated by the olfactory receptor axon terminals. Different odorants activate spatially distinct patterns of glomeruli across the surface of the olfactory bulb. This input organization has been characterized for a wide range of odorants and concentrations. However, mitral/tufted neuron responses are shaped by two layers of inhibitory and excitatory interneurons, a complex arrangement that allows for many possible functions of the bulb. Here, we propose to simultaneously use calcium dyes loaded into sensory axons to examine the input to the bulb, and target the novel fast fluorescent protein voltage sensor ArcLight mitral/tufted neurons to examine the output. These experiments would be the first to simultaneously examine the spatio-temporal patterns of both the input and output of the olfactory bulb.