Optical imaging of the input and output of the olfactory bulb

描述(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感受器神经元集合，这些感受器神经元发送轴突投射，终止于位于嗅球表面的称为肾小球的神经束区域。二尖瓣/簇状神经元是嗅球的初级输出神经元，具有初级尖端树突，延伸到由嗅觉感受器轴突终末支配的肾小球束。不同的气味会激活不同的空间 嗅球表面的肾小球图案。这种输入组织已经针对各种气味和浓度进行了表征。然而，二尖瓣/簇状神经元的反应是由两层抑制性和兴奋性中间神经元构成的，这是一种复杂的排列，允许灯泡的许多可能功能。在这里，我们建议同时使用钙染料加载到感觉轴突来检查球的输入，并以新型快速荧光蛋白电压传感器ArcLight二尖瓣/簇状神经元为目标来检查输出。这些实验将是第一次同时检测嗅球输入和输出的时空模式。

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.