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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...

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Perforated Patch-clamp Recording of Mouse Olfactory Sensory Neurons in Intact Neuroepithelium: Functional Analysis of Neurons Expressing an Identified Odorant Receptor

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Intrinsically bursting olfactory receptor neurons.

Y V Bobkov¹, B W Ache

¹Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., Saint Augustine, FL 32080, USA. bobkov@whitney.ufl.edu

Journal of Neurophysiology

|December 1, 2006

Summary

Lobster olfactory neurons exhibit rhythmic bursting, responding to odors with phase-dependent action potentials. This intrinsic bursting mechanism offers a novel way to encode olfactory information, potentially synchronized by rhythmic odor input.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Olfactory signaling
Sensory biology

Background:

Rhythmically bursting neurons are crucial for neural network function.
However, their role in primary sensory signaling is typically overlooked.
Olfactory receptor neurons are key in detecting odors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate intrinsically bursting neurons in primary olfactory receptor neurons.
To explore how these neurons respond to odor stimuli.
To determine if rhythmic odor input influences neuronal bursting.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings from lobster olfactory receptor neurons.
Application of various odor concentrations.
Stimulation with rhythmic odor pulses.

Main Results:

Identified intrinsically bursting lobster primary olfactory receptor neurons.
Observed phase-dependent bursts of action potentials in response to odors.
Demonstrated that rhythmic odor input entrains the intrinsic bursting rhythm in a concentration-dependent manner.
Inferred synchronization of bursting cells due to rhythmic input.

Conclusions:

Intrinsically bursting olfactory receptor cells represent a novel mechanism for encoding odor information.
The bursting activity is modulated by odor concentration and rhythmic input.
This finding expands the understanding of sensory signaling in olfactory systems.