Thyroid Hormone Effects on the Peripheral Olfactory System

作者：William M. IBN 94-10637 通过视觉、听觉和嗅觉来识别熟悉地点的能力是一种普遍现象。 对于鲑鱼来说，它们从淡水流迁移到广阔的咸水海洋，并最终回到它们的家乡河流繁殖，识别它们的家乡河流的能力对物种生存至关重要。 但是这些鱼是如何识别它们的家园环境的呢？ 一个可能的机制是在鲑鱼幼鱼时期，熟悉的气味会进入记忆。 在小鲑鱼孵卵过程中，身体发生了变化，嗅觉记忆也成熟了。 此外，小鲑鱼伴随着甲状腺激素水平的显着增加。 罗伯茨和高桥博士将研究甲状腺激素在嗅觉记忆发展中的作用。 嗅觉受体细胞出生时的幼鱼将进行化学标记和外源性甲状腺激素治疗，以提高其生存的效果将被确定。 此外，还将评估小鲑鱼孵卵时大脑嗅球的结构变化以及甲状腺激素对这些变化的调节。 除了检查在小鲑鱼孵出时大脑中发生的结构变化外，还将检查嗅觉受体细胞对气味的敏感性的功能变化。 这些研究有可能为理解记忆的物理基础提供突破。 此外，鲑鱼的洄游具有相当大的商业利益。 这项研究有可能让人类设计出引导鲑鱼遵循可能提高物种生存的新途径到达出生地的方法。

Roberts, William M. IBN 94-10637 The ability to recognize familiar locations by their sights, sounds and smells is a common phenomenon. In salmon, who migrate great distances from fresh water streams to vast salt-water oceans, and ultimately, back to their home streams to reproduce, the ability to identify their home streams is crucial to species survival. But how is it that these fish recognize their home environments? One possible mechanism is the incorporation of familiar smells into memory which occurs during the parr smolt in salmon. During smolting, a physical transformation takes place as does a maturation of olfactory memory. Additionally, smolting is accompanied by a marked increase in thyroid hormone levels. Drs. Roberts and Takahashi will examine the role of thyroid hormones in the development of olfactory memory. Olfactory receptor cells born at the time of the parr smolt will be chemically marked and the effect of exogenous thyroid hormone treatment to enhance their survival will be determined. Moreover, structural changes in the olfactory bulb of the brain at smolting and modulation of those changes by thyroid hormones will be assessed. In addition to examination of the structural changes occurring in the brain at the time of smolting, functional changes in the sensitivity of the olfactory receptor cells to odorants will be examined. These studies have the potential to provide a breakthrough in understanding the physical basis of memory. Further, migration of salmon is of considerable commercial interest. This research has the potential to allow man to devise methods for guiding salmon to their birthplaces following novel pathways that may enhance the survival of the species.