Principles of olfactory reward processing in the human brain

项目总结 中枢神经系统的一个重要功能是使行为偏向于 与生存息息相关。众所周知，气味对动物的行为有很大的影响，因为它们引导 食物搜索和选择，母体结合，以及配偶选择。即使人类不会考虑 嗅觉是一种占主导地位的感觉，人类同样也会受到气味的有益特性的影响。使用 基于模式的功能磁共振成像(FMRI)数据分析的最新进展，我们 现在能够探索人类嗅觉奖赏处理的神经机制。这个 当前研究提案的目标是利用这些新方法来理解 人类气味引导行为的神经机制。具体地说，我们将使用功能和结构大脑 成像结合嗅觉心理物理学揭示脑功能解剖和编码机制 嗅觉奖赏处理。拟议中的研究将检验食物的预测性神经表征。 气味认同和奖赏价值，以及它们对基于嗅觉奖赏的行为和学习的重要性。 互补性研究将追踪嗅觉和边缘脑区之间的解剖路径，以及 描述通过这些连接传输的特定信息。这些实验加在一起将 打开了一扇新的窗口，让我们了解人脑在功能上的嗅觉奖励处理， 机械学和解剖学水平，以及对神经科学研究的影响 将军。此外，这项研究的发现可以更好地理解嗅觉和 在各种神经退行性疾病中描述的行为缺陷，包括阿尔茨海默病和 额颞叶痴呆，并可能最终为开发新的诊断和治疗提供洞察力 治疗性临床方法。

PROJECT SUMMARY A crucial function of the central nervous system is to bias behavior toward events and outcomes that hold relevance for survival. It is well recognized that odors have a strong effect on animal behavior, as they guide food search and selection, maternal bonding, and mate selection. Even though humans do not consider olfaction to be a dominant sense, humans are similarly swayed by the rewarding properties of smells. With recent developments in the pattern-based analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we are now in a position to explore the neural mechanisms of olfactory reward processing in humans. The objective of the current research proposal is to capitalize on these novel methods in order to understand the neural mechanisms of odor-guided behavior in humans. Specifically, we will use functional and structural brain imaging in combination with olfactory psychophysics to reveal the functional anatomy and coding mechanisms of olfactory reward processing. The proposed studies will examine predictive neural representations of food odor identity and reward value, and their importance for olfactory reward-based behavior and learning. Complementary studies will track the anatomical pathways between olfactory and limbic brain regions, and delineate the specific information that is transmitted via these connections. Together these experiments will open a new window into understanding olfactory reward processing in the human brain at the functional, mechanistic, and anatomical level, with implications for neuroscientific research on adaptive behavior in general. Moreover, the findings of this research can lead to a better understanding of the olfactory and behavioral deficits described in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, and may ultimately provide insights into the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic clinical approaches.