Mechanisms of Chemical Communication

对于几乎所有的多细胞动物来说，对物种、性别、个体和亲缘关系识别过程的理解是至关重要的。在许多哺乳动物中，化学感觉信号为这种识别提供了最重要的交流渠道之一。约翰斯顿博士将研究动物通过化学线索识别其他物种的方式，并研究这种识别背后的神经机制。他的研究涉及开发创新的习惯化范式来衡量个人歧视和个人认可。他将利用行为信息来确定两条主要的嗅觉通路--主嗅觉系统和犁鼻系统--在调节识别过程中所扮演的角色。这种多学科的方法不仅将为我们理解动物交流系统提供信息，而且将有助于我们理解(1)一般的识别机制，(2)嗅觉的功能，(3)嗅觉系统神经通路的组织和功能，以及(4)大脑不同区域的嗅觉信息处理。理解和治疗与人类味觉和嗅觉功能障碍相关的临床疾病只能得益于动物嗅觉和化学通讯研究的基础知识的进步。

The understanding of processes involved in species, sex, individual and kin recognition are of fundamental importance to virtually all multicellular animals. Among many mammals, chemosensory signals provide one of the most important channels of communication for such recognition. Dr. Johnston will examine the ways in which animals recognize others of their species by chemical cues and investigate the neural mechanisms underlying such recognition. His research involves the development of innovative habituation paradigms to measure individual discrimination and individual recognition. He will utilize the behavioral information to determine the roles that the two main olfactory pathways, the main olfactory system and the vomeronasal system, play in mediating the recognition processes. Not only will this multidisciplinary approach provide information towards our understanding of animal communication systems but will contribute to our understanding of (1) recognition mechanisms in general, (2) the functions of the sense of olfaction, (3) the organization and functions of the neural pathways of the olfactory system, and (4) the processing of olfactory information in different brain regions. The understanding and treatment of clinical disorders associated with taste and olfactory dysfunctions in humans can only benefit from advances in basic knowledge of animal olfaction and chemical communication research.