Mosaic activity patterns and their relation to perceptual similarity: open discussions on the molecular basis and circuitry of odor recognition

• Autores: Locatelli, Fernando Federico; Rela, Lorena
• Año de publicación: 2014
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Antennal Lobe; Olfactory Bulb; Olfactory Percept; Olfactory Ensheathing Cells; Sensory Map; Transduction
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Enormous advances have been made in the recent years in regard to the mechanisms and neural circuits by which odors are sensed and perceived. Part of this understanding has been gained from parallel studies in insects and rodents that show striking similarity in the mechanisms they use to sense, encode, and perceive odors. In this review, we provide a short introduction to the functioning of olfactory systems from transduction of odorant stimuli into electrical signals in sensory neurons to the anatomical and functional organization of the networks involved in neural representation of odors in the central nervous system. We make emphasis on the functional and anatomical architecture of the first synaptic relay of the olfactory circuit, the olfactory bulb in vertebrates and the antennal lobe in insects. We discuss how the exquisite and conserved architecture of this structure is established and how different odors are encoded in mosaic activity patterns. Finally, we discuss the validity of methods used to compare activation patterns in relation to perceptual similarity. In this Review we provide an introduction to the functioning of olfactory systems from transduction of stimuli into electrical signals to the organization of the networks involved in neural representation of odors. We discuss how different odors are encoded in mosaic activity patterns and the validity of methods used to compare activation patterns in relation to perceptual similarity.
Fil: Locatelli, Fernando Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; Argentina
Fil: Rela, Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina