RESUMEN
Many cortical brain regions are spatially organized to optimize sensory representation. Such topographic maps have so far been elusive in the olfactory cortex. A high-throughput tracing study reveals that the neural circuits connecting olfactory regions are indeed topographically organized.
Asunto(s)
Mapeo Encefálico , Corteza Olfatoria , Animales , Ratones , Corteza Olfatoria/citología , Corteza Olfatoria/fisiología , Neurociencias/métodos , Neuronas/citologíaRESUMEN
Neuroscientists still are not sure what makes any two odors smell alike. A new study uses light to manipulate the sensory cells in our nose that respond to odors and reveals that both the timing and identity of activated cells influence odor perception.
Asunto(s)
Percepción Olfatoria , Lógica , Odorantes , Optogenética , OlfatoRESUMEN
Olfaction facilitates a large variety of animal behaviors such as feeding, mating, and communication. Recent work has begun to reveal the logic of odor transformations that occur throughout the olfactory system to form the odor percept. In this review, we describe the coding principles and mechanisms by which the piriform cortex and other olfactory areas encode three key odor features: odor identity, intensity, and valence. We argue that the piriform cortex produces a multiplexed odor code that allows non-interfering representations of distinct features of the odor stimulus to facilitate odor recognition and learning, which ultimately drives behavior.