Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

47.9K
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...
47.9K
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

12.0K
Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
12.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Behavioral evolution: Brief moments of inhibition guide mate choice.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

An essential experimental control for functional connectivity mapping with optogenetics.

Genetics·2025
Same author

Odorant Receptors Mediating Avoidance of Toxic Mustard Oils in Drosophila melanogaster Are Expanded in Herbivorous Relatives.

Molecular biology and evolution·2025
Same author

Sensation of electric fields in the Drosophila melanogaster larva.

Current biology : CB·2025
Same author

Odorant receptors mediating avoidance of toxic mustard oils in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> are expanded in herbivorous relatives.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Drosophila flight: How flies control casts and surges.

Current biology : CB·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Understanding Processing of Olfactory and Spatial Information by Brain with Real-Time Behavioral Analysis
06:21

Author Spotlight: Understanding Processing of Olfactory and Spatial Information by Brain with Real-Time Behavioral Analysis

Published on: September 20, 2024

1.4K

Mini-brain computations converting dynamic olfactory inputs into orientation behavior.

Matthieu Louis1

  • 1Neuroscience Research Institute & Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA; Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.

Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|December 15, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Understanding how fruit fly larvae navigate using smell is complex. This review details a specific neural pathway that converts dynamic odor signals into precise odor-seeking behaviors, simplifying this complex process.

More Related Videos

Olfactory Behaviors Assayed by Computer Tracking Of Drosophila in a Four-quadrant Olfactometer
08:52

Olfactory Behaviors Assayed by Computer Tracking Of Drosophila in a Four-quadrant Olfactometer

Published on: August 20, 2016

16.4K
Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees
13:55

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Published on: July 21, 2014

13.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Understanding Processing of Olfactory and Spatial Information by Brain with Real-Time Behavioral Analysis
06:21

Author Spotlight: Understanding Processing of Olfactory and Spatial Information by Brain with Real-Time Behavioral Analysis

Published on: September 20, 2024

1.4K
Olfactory Behaviors Assayed by Computer Tracking Of Drosophila in a Four-quadrant Olfactometer
08:52

Olfactory Behaviors Assayed by Computer Tracking Of Drosophila in a Four-quadrant Olfactometer

Published on: August 20, 2016

16.4K
Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees
13:55

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Published on: July 21, 2014

13.4K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory system
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Converting dynamic olfactory inputs into odor-search behaviors is challenging due to the distributed nature of olfactory coding.
  • Food odors often activate multiple olfactory sensory neurons simultaneously.
  • The neural mechanisms for this conversion remain largely uncracked.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the neural logic of converting non-stationary olfactory inputs into odor-search behaviors.
  • To highlight advancements in understanding the neural mechanisms of larval chemotaxis.
  • To explore a specific descending pathway crucial for orientation responses.

Main Methods:

  • Anatomical inspections of the olfactory pathway in Drosophila larvae.
  • Functional analysis of neural circuits involved in chemotaxis.
  • Review of existing literature on the larval olfactory system and descending pathways.

Main Results:

  • In Drosophila larvae, a single olfactory sensory neuron can guide accurate reorientation in odor gradients.
  • A specific descending pathway from the peripheral olfactory system to the premotor system is essential for larval chemotaxis.
  • This pathway has been anatomically and functionally delineated.

Conclusions:

  • Inspections of this pathway have significantly advanced the understanding of neural mechanisms for sensory-guided orientation.
  • The simplified Drosophila larval olfactory system provides a model for studying sensory-to-motor conversion.
  • Further research on this pathway can elucidate fundamental principles of olfactory processing and behavior generation.