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Li H, Lee C, Kay LM. Testing effects of trigeminal stimulation on binary odor mixture quality in rats. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1059741. [PMID: 36960175 PMCID: PMC10027748 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1059741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior attempts at forming theoretical predictions regarding the quality of binary odor mixtures have failed to find any consistent predictor for overshadowing of one component in a binary mixture by the other. We test here the hypothesis that trigeminality contributes to overshadowing effects in binary mixture perception. Most odorants stimulate the trigeminal nerve in the nasal sensory epithelium. In the current study we test rats' ability to detect component odorants in four binary odor sets chosen for their relative trigeminality. We predicted that the difference in trigeminal intensity would predict the degree of overshadowing by boosting or suppressing perceptual intensity of these odorants during learning or during mixture perception. We used a two-alternative choice (TAC) task in which rats were trained to recognize the two components of each mixture and tested on a range of mixtures of the two without reinforcement. We found that even though odorant concentrations were adjusted to balance volatility, all odor sets produced asymmetric psychometric curves. Odor pairs with the greatest difference in trigeminality showed overshadowing by the odorant with weaker trigeminal properties. Odor sets with more evenly matched trigeminal properties also showed asymmetry that was not predicted by either small differences in volatility or trigeminality. Thus, trigeminal properties may influence overshadowing in odor mixtures, but other factors are also likely involved. These mixed results further support the need to test each odor mixture to determine its odor quality and underscore recent results at the level of olfactory receptor neurons that show massive and unpredictable inhibition among odorants in complex mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huibo Li
- Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Clara Lee
- The College, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Leslie M. Kay
- Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- The College, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- *Correspondence: Leslie M. Kay,
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Chong E, Moroni M, Wilson C, Shoham S, Panzeri S, Rinberg D. Manipulating synthetic optogenetic odors reveals the coding logic of olfactory perception. Science 2020; 368:368/6497/eaba2357. [PMID: 32554567 DOI: 10.1126/science.aba2357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
How does neural activity generate perception? Finding the combinations of spatial or temporal activity features (such as neuron identity or latency) that are consequential for perception remains challenging. We trained mice to recognize synthetic odors constructed from parametrically defined patterns of optogenetic activation, then measured perceptual changes during extensive and controlled perturbations across spatiotemporal dimensions. We modeled recognition as the matching of patterns to learned templates. The templates that best predicted recognition were sequences of spatially identified units, ordered by latencies relative to each other (with minimal effects of sniff). Within templates, individual units contributed additively, with larger contributions from earlier-activated units. Our synthetic approach reveals the fundamental logic of the olfactory code and provides a general framework for testing links between sensory activity and perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund Chong
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Monica Moroni
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy. .,CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Shy Shoham
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Tech4Health Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10010, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10017, USA
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Dmitry Rinberg
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA. .,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
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3
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Laska M. Olfactory Discrimination Learning in an Outbred and an Inbred Strain of Mice. Chem Senses 2015; 40:489-96. [DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjv032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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Breton-Provencher V, Saghatelyan A. Newborn neurons in the adult olfactory bulb: Unique properties for specific odor behavior. Behav Brain Res 2012; 227:480-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2010] [Revised: 07/31/2011] [Accepted: 08/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Doucette W, Gire DH, Whitesell J, Carmean V, Lucero MT, Restrepo D. Associative cortex features in the first olfactory brain relay station. Neuron 2011; 69:1176-87. [PMID: 21435561 PMCID: PMC3064824 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Synchronized firing of mitral cells (MCs) in the olfactory bulb (OB) has been hypothesized to help bind information together in olfactory cortex (OC). In this survey of synchronized firing by suspected MCs in awake, behaving vertebrates, we find the surprising result that synchronized firing conveys information on odor value ("Is it rewarded?") rather than odor identity ("What is the odor?"). We observed that as mice learned to discriminate between odors, synchronous firing responses to the rewarded and unrewarded odors became divergent. Furthermore, adrenergic blockage decreases the magnitude of odor divergence of synchronous trains, suggesting that MCs contribute to decision-making through adrenergic-modulated synchronized firing. Thus, in the olfactory system information on stimulus reward is found in MCs one synapse away from the sensory neuron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilder Doucette
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Doucette W, Restrepo D. Profound context-dependent plasticity of mitral cell responses in olfactory bulb. PLoS Biol 2008; 6:e258. [PMID: 18959481 PMCID: PMC2573932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2008] [Accepted: 09/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
On the basis of its primary circuit it has been postulated that the olfactory bulb (OB) is analogous to the retina in mammals. In retina, repeated exposure to the same visual stimulus results in a neural representation that remains relatively stable over time, even as the meaning of that stimulus to the animal changes. Stability of stimulus representation at early stages of processing allows for unbiased interpretation of incoming stimuli by higher order cortical centers. The alternative is that early stimulus representation is shaped by previously derived meaning, which could allow more efficient sampling of odor space providing a simplified yet biased interpretation of incoming stimuli. This study helps place the olfactory system on this continuum of subjective versus objective early sensory representation. Here we show that odor responses of the output cells of the OB, mitral cells, change transiently during a go-no-go odor discrimination task. The response changes occur in a manner that increases the ability of the circuit to convey information necessary to discriminate among closely related odors. Remarkably, a switch between which of the two odors is rewarded causes mitral cells to switch the polarity of their divergent responses. Taken together these results redefine the function of the OB as a transiently modifiable (active) filter, shaping early odor representations in behaviorally meaningful ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilder Doucette
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Program and Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Diego Restrepo
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Program and Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
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Wesson DW, Donahou TN, Johnson MO, Wachowiak M. Sniffing behavior of mice during performance in odor-guided tasks. Chem Senses 2008; 33:581-96. [PMID: 18534995 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjn029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sniffing, a rhythmic inhalation and exhalation of air through the nose, is a behavior thought to play a critical role in shaping how odor information is represented and processed by the nervous system. Although the mouse has become a prominent model for studying olfaction, little is known about sniffing behavior in mice. Here, we characterized mouse sniffing behavior by measuring intranasal pressure transients in behaving mice. Sniffing was monitored during unstructured exploratory behavior and during performance of 3 commonly used olfactory paradigms: a habituation/dishabituation task, a sand digging-based discrimination task, and a nose poke-based discrimination task. We found that respiration frequencies in quiescent mice ranged from 3 to 5 Hz--higher than that reported for rats. During exploration, sniff frequency increased up to approximately 12 Hz and was highly dynamic, with rapid changes in frequency, amplitude, and waveform. Sniffing behavior varied strongly between tasks as well as for different behavioral epochs of each task. For example, mice performing the digging-based task showed little increase in sniff frequency prior to digging, whereas mice performing a nose poke-based task showed robust increases. Mice showed large increases in sniff frequency prior to reward delivery in all tasks. Mice also showed increases in sniff frequency when nose poking in a nonodor-guided task. These results show that mouse sniffing behavior is highly dynamic, varies with behavioral context, and is strongly modulated by olfactory as well as nonolfactory events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Wesson
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Grossman KJ, Mallik AK, Ross J, Kay LM, Issa NP. Glomerular activation patterns and the perception of odor mixtures. Eur J Neurosci 2008; 27:2676-85. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06213.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Doucette W, Milder J, Restrepo D. Adrenergic modulation of olfactory bulb circuitry affects odor discrimination. Learn Mem 2007; 14:539-47. [PMID: 17686948 PMCID: PMC1951793 DOI: 10.1101/lm.606407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2007] [Accepted: 06/15/2007] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A rodent's survival depends upon its ability to perceive odor cues necessary to guide mate selection, sexual behavior, foraging, territorial formation, and predator avoidance. Arguably, the need to discriminate odor cues in a complex olfactory environment requires a highly adaptable olfactory system. Indeed, it has been proposed that context-dependent modulation of the initial sensory relay could alter olfactory perception. Interestingly, 40% of the adrenergic innervation from the locus coeruleus, fibers that are activated by contextual cues, innervates the first relay station in the olfactory system (the main olfactory bulb). Here we utilize restricted pharmacological inhibition of olfactory bulb noradrenergic receptors in awake-behaving animals. We show that combined blockade of alpha and beta adrenergic receptors does not impair two-odor discrimination behavior per se but does impair the ability to discriminate perceptually similar odors. Thus, contextual cues conveyed by noradrenergic fibers alter processing before the second synapse in the olfactory cortex, resulting in tuning of the ability to discriminate between similar odors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilder Doucette
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Program, and Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA.
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Abstract
Systematic mapping studies involving 365 odorant chemicals have shown that glomerular responses in the rat olfactory bulb are organized spatially in patterns that are related to the chemistry of the odorant stimuli. This organization involves the spatial clustering of principal responses to numerous odorants that share key aspects of chemistry such as functional groups, hydrocarbon structural elements, and/or overall molecular properties related to water solubility. In several of the clusters, responses shift progressively in position according to odorant carbon chain length. These response domains appear to be constructed from orderly projections of sensory neurons in the olfactory epithelium and may also involve chromatography across the nasal mucosa. The spatial clustering of glomerular responses may serve to "tune" the principal responses of bulbar projection neurons by way of inhibitory interneuronal networks, allowing the projection neurons to respond to a narrower range of stimuli than their associated sensory neurons. When glomerular activity patterns are viewed relative to the overall level of glomerular activation, the patterns accurately predict the perception of odor quality, thereby supporting the notion that spatial patterns of activity are the key factors underlying that aspect of the olfactory code. A critical analysis suggests that alternative coding mechanisms for odor quality, such as those based on temporal patterns of responses, enjoy little experimental support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett A Johnson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4550, USA.
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