Anatomical Contributions to Odorant Sampling and Representation in Rodents: Zoning in on Sniffing Behavior

Odorant sampling behaviors such as sniffing bring odorant molecules into contact with olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) to initiate the sensory mechanisms of olfaction. In rodents, inspiratory airflow through the nose is structured and laminar; consequently, the spatial distribution of adsorbed odor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical senses 2006-02, Vol.31 (2), p.131-144
Main Authors: Schoenfeld, Thomas A., Cleland, Thomas A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Odorants
odotopic
olfactory airspace
olfactory bulb
Olfactory Bulb - anatomy & histology
Olfactory Bulb - physiology
olfactory coding space
Olfactory Receptor Neurons - anatomy & histology
Olfactory Receptor Neurons - physiology
rhinotopic
Rodentia - anatomy & histology
Rodentia - physiology
Smell - physiology
zonation hypothesis
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Summary:Odorant sampling behaviors such as sniffing bring odorant molecules into contact with olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) to initiate the sensory mechanisms of olfaction. In rodents, inspiratory airflow through the nose is structured and laminar; consequently, the spatial distribution of adsorbed odorant molecules during inspiration is predictable. Physicochemical properties such as water solubility and volatility, collectively called sorptiveness, interact with behaviorally regulable variables such as inspiratory flow rate to determine the pattern of odorant deposition along the inspiratory path. Populations of ORNs expressing the same odorant receptor are distributed in strictly delimited regions along this inspiratory path, enabling different deposition patterns of the same odorant to evoke different patterns of neuronal activation across the olfactory epithelium and in the olfactory bulb. We propose that both odorant sorptive properties and the regulation of sniffing behavior may contribute to rodents' olfactory capacities by this mechanism. In particular, we suggest that the motor regulation of sniffing behavior is substantially utilized for purposes of “zonation” or the direction of odorant molecules to defined intranasal regions and hence toward distinct populations of receptor neurons, pursuant to animals' sensory goals.
ISSN:0379-864X
1464-3553
DOI:10.1093/chemse/bjj015