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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Multi-unit Recording Methods to Characterize Neural Activity in the Locust (Schistocerca Americana) Olfactory Circuits
Published on: January 25, 2013
Olfactory mechanisms of stereotyped behavior: on the scent of specialized circuits
1Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. stowers@scripps.edu
Abstract:
Investigation of how specialized olfactory cues, such as pheromones, are detected has primarily focused on the function of receptor neurons within a subsystem of the nasal cavity, the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Behavioral analyses have long indicated that additional, non-VNO olfactory neurons are similarly necessary for pheromone detection; however, the identity of these neurons has been a mystery. Recent molecular, behavioral, and genomic approaches have led to the identification of multiple atypical sensory circuits that display characteristics suggestive of a specialized function. This review focuses on these non-VNO receptors and neurons, and evaluates their potential for mediating stereotyped olfactory behavior in mammals.
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