Principles of olfactory reward processing in the human brain

项目摘要 中枢神经系统的一个关键功能是使行为偏向于那些能够维持的事件和结果 生存的相关性。众所周知，气味对动物行为有很强的影响，因为它们引导 食物搜索和选择，母性结合，和配偶选择。尽管人类并不认为 嗅觉是一种主要的感觉，人类同样会被气味的有益特性所左右。与 最近的发展，基于模式的分析功能磁共振成像（fMRI）数据，我们 现在可以探索人类嗅觉奖励处理的神经机制。的 目前研究建议的目的是利用这些新方法，以了解 人类气味引导行为的神经机制具体来说，我们将使用功能性和结构性大脑 成像结合嗅觉心理物理学，以揭示功能解剖和编码机制 嗅觉奖励处理的过程。拟议中的研究将检查食物的预测神经表征 气味身份和奖励价值，以及它们对嗅觉奖励行为和学习的重要性。 补充研究将跟踪嗅觉和边缘脑区域之间的解剖学通路， 描述通过这些连接传输的特定信息。这些实验将 打开了一扇新的窗户，了解人类大脑中嗅觉奖励的功能， 机制和解剖学水平，对神经科学研究的适应性行为的影响， 将军此外，这项研究的结果可以更好地了解嗅觉和嗅觉神经系统。 行为缺陷描述在各种神经退行性疾病，包括阿尔茨海默病和 额颞叶痴呆症，并可能最终提供见解的发展，新的诊断和 临床治疗方法。

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.