Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Recording Temperature-induced Neuronal Activity through Monitoring Calcium Changes in the Olfactory Bulb of Xenopus laevis
Published on: June 3, 2016
Activation of the rat olfactory bulb by direct ventral stimulation after nerve transection
Daniel H Coelho1,2, Leandro D Socolovsky1,2, Richard M Costanzo1,2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond.
Background:
The aim of this study was to demonstrate how direct electrical stimulation can activate the olfactory bulb after denervation of the olfactory nerve input.
Methods:
Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 5) were anesthetized and olfactory bulbs exposed. Olfactory nerves were transected by passing a Teflon blade between the cribriform plate and ventral surface of the bulb. A cochlear implant electrode array was used to stimulate 6 different positions along the ventral surface of the olfactory bulb. Biphasic constant-current pulses were used (50-1000 μA, 50-1000 μs) to stimulate the bulb, and a 16-electrode paddle array was used to record localized negative field potential responses at the dorsal surface of the bulb.
Results:
Localized negative field potentials were reliably obtained using biphasic, 500-μA, 200-μs pulses. A shift in stimulating position by 1 mm resulted in a significant change in the dorsal field potential.
Conclusion:
Direct stimulation of the deafferented olfactory bulb was effective in generating localized field potential responses. These findings support the potential use of direct electrical stimulation for the treatment of anosmia.
Related Concept Videos
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
The direct-acting...
ortho–para-Directing Activators: –CH3, –OH, –⁠NH2, –OCH3
Directing Effect of Substituents: meta-Directing Groups
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
The olfactory...
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
Directing Effect of Substituents: ortho–para-Directing Groups

