Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Olfaction

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Functional brain region-specific neural spheroids for modeling neurological diseases and therapeutics screening.

Communications biology·2023

Same author

High throughput 3D gel-based neural organotypic model for cellular assays using fluorescence biosensors.

Communications biology·2022

Same author

Enhancement of Neuroglial Extracellular Matrix Formation and Physiological Activity of Dopaminergic Neural Cocultures by Macromolecular Crowding.

Cells·2022

Same author

Neonatal brain injury causes cerebellar learning deficits and Purkinje cell dysfunction.

Nature communications·2018

Same author

Hormonal Modulation of Pheromone Detection Enhances Male Courtship Success.

Neuron·2016

Same author

Olfactory responses of Drosophila larvae.

Chemical senses·2013

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 15, 2026

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

Published on: December 11, 2015

Synergism and Combinatorial Coding for Binary Odor Mixture Perception in Drosophila.

Srikanya Kundu¹, Anindya Ganguly¹, Tuhin Subhra Chakraborty¹

¹National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus , Bangalore 560065, India.

|September 3, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Fruit flies use combinatorial coding to perceive odor mixtures, with perception depending on component proportions and dilution. This peripheral olfactory coding is receptor-specific and bypasses complex neural interactions.

Keywords:

Drosophila melanogaster behavior binary mixture neuronal coding receptor specificity synergism

More Related Videos

Calcium Imaging of Odor-evoked Responses in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe

Calcium Imaging of Odor-evoked Responses in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe

Published on: March 14, 2012

Whole Mount Immunolabeling of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Drosophila Antenna

Whole Mount Immunolabeling of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Drosophila Antenna

Published on: May 4, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 15, 2026

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

Published on: December 11, 2015

Calcium Imaging of Odor-evoked Responses in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe

Calcium Imaging of Odor-evoked Responses in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe

Published on: March 14, 2012

Whole Mount Immunolabeling of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Drosophila Antenna

Whole Mount Immunolabeling of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Drosophila Antenna

Published on: May 4, 2014

Area of Science:

Olfactory neuroscience
Animal behavior
Sensory biology

Background:

Natural odors are complex mixtures, posing a challenge for olfactory systems.
The brain's processing of odorant mixtures is not fully understood.
Investigating how olfactory sensory neurons detect mixture components is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if olfactory systems process odor mixture components individually or as novel entities.
To elucidate the coding strategy for binary odor mixtures in a model organism.

Main Methods:

Utilized Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) as a model system.
Investigated the perception of binary odor mixtures.
Analyzed the influence of component proportion and dilution on odor perception.

Main Results:

Fruit fly perception of binary odor mixtures is significantly influenced by component proportions.
Odor mixture perception is also dependent on the degree of component dilution.
Evidence suggests a combinatorial coding strategy at the peripheral olfactory receptor level.

Conclusions:

The olfactory system in fruit flies employs a receptor-specific, combinatorial coding strategy for odor mixtures.
This peripheral coding mechanism is independent of downstream interneuronal interactions.
Findings shed light on the fundamental principles of olfactory processing of complex scents.