Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
09:53
Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
Published on: April 23, 2019
7.4K
Simultaneous detection and estimation in olfactory sensing
Chen Jiang1,2, Matthew Y He1, Venkatesh N Murthy3,4,5
1Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 24, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel olfactory compressed sensing model for accurately decoding odor identity and concentration. The new biologically-plausible recurrent circuit model handles complex naturalistic olfactory scenes effectively.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Sensory Systems
Background:
- Mammalian olfactory systems excel at rapid odor decoding.
- Compressed sensing theory explains odor decoding from limited receptors.
- Existing models struggle with complex, naturalistic olfactory scenes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a new model for olfactory compressed sensing.
- To infer both odor presence and concentration separately in complex scenes.
- To create a biologically-plausible recurrent circuit for olfactory decoding.
Main Methods:
- Inspired by simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms.
- Utilized Mirrored Langevin Dynamics for rapid inference.
- Developed a rate-based dynamics framework for constrained distributions.
Main Results:
- The proposed model accurately infers odor presence and concentration at scale.
- The model is compatible with primary cell types in the olfactory bulb.
- Demonstrates a path towards advanced olfactory sensing models.
Conclusions:
- The new framework enables olfactory sensing in naturalistic environments.
- The model provides experimentally-testable predictions for neural dynamics.
- Offers a scalable and accurate approach to olfactory decoding.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Olfaction
48.0K
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...
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
48.0K
01:20Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
12.2K
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...
The olfactory...
12.2K
01:03Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
11.1K
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...
11.1K