The role of newborn neurons in the adult olfactory bulb

嗅觉系统是最古老的感觉方式之一，对许多动物物种的生存至关重要。嗅觉提供有关食物位置的重要信息，并影响社会和性行为。在哺乳动物中，气味是由嗅觉上皮内的嗅觉感觉神经元感知的。然后，感觉信息被传输到嗅球。有趣的是，嗅觉上皮和嗅球在动物的整个生命周期中都保持着显著的更新神经元数量的能力。感觉神经元的更新很可能是因为它们在感觉上皮中的位置不受保护，使它们直接暴露在毒素、感染剂或创伤中。然而，新生神经元在嗅球中的功能作用仍不清楚。我们的NSERC研究项目旨在研究这些新生神经元在成年嗅球中的作用。我们提出了一系列实验来阐明新生神经元在嗅球中的功能作用。通过使用形态和电生理记录，我们将检验这一假设，即成年期出生的神经元给神经元电路带来的功能是先前存在的中间神经元群体无法完成的。此外，我们还将探索感觉上皮中的感觉神经元更新控制嗅球新生细胞功能整合的可能性。总体而言，这些实验将让我们了解成人大脑为什么以及如何产生新的神经元，并将新神经元整合到已经存在的、正在发挥作用的嗅球回路中。

The olfactory system is one of the oldest sensory modalities and is essential for the survival of many animal species. Olfaction provides vital information about food location and influences social and sexual behaviors. In mammals, the odors are perceived by the olfactory sensory neurons contained within olfactory epithelium. The sensory information is then transferred into the olfactory bulb. Interestingly, both olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb retain a remarkable capacity to renew their neuronal population throughout the life span of animal. The renewal of sensory neurons is likely to be explained by their unprotected position in the sensory epithelium, making them to be directly exposed to toxins, infectious agents or trauma. However, the functional role of newborn neurons in the olfactory bulb remains unclear. Our NSERC research program aims at investigating the role of these newborn neurons in the adult olfactory bulb. We propose the series of experiments to elucidate the functional role of newborn neurons in the olfactory bulb. By using morphological and electrophysiological recordings, we will test the hypothesis that neurons born in the adulthood bring to the neuronal circuitry functions that cannot be fulfilled by pre-existing population of interneurons. In addition, we will explore the possibility that sensory neurons turnover in the sensory epithelium control functional integration of newborn cells in the olfactory bulb. Overall these experiments will allow us to understand why and how the adult brain produces and incorporates new neurons into already existing, functioning circuits of the olfactory bulb.