Asymmetry of the olfactory system in the brain of the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus

Adult flatfishes exhibit grossly asymmetric external morphology. Even the olfactory apparatus is asymmetric, being larger on the upward-facing side. We undertook the present study on the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, to examine whether the asymmetry of the peripheral olfactory system is maintained in its central organization. In winter flounder, the right olfactory organ, nerve, and bulb are larger than the contralateral counterparts. In addition, the right telencephalon is about 8% larger than the left. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and degeneration techniques were used to trace the central connections of the olfactory bulbs. Neurons afferent to the olfactory bulb occur bilaterally in the telencephalon and mesencephalic tegmentum. Afferent neurons are also present at the junction between the posterodorsal bulb and telencephalon, in the basal preoptic region, nucleus of the posterior tuber, locus coeruleus, raphe nucleus, and the contralateral bulb. Each olfactory bulb projects bilaterally to several restricted areas of the telencephalon, the posterodorsal neurons of the nucleus preopticus and the tuberal region, with ipsilateral connections being heavier in all areas. Corresponding to the differences in the peripheral olfactory apparatus, the central olfactory projections were also asymmetric. The right olfactory bulb projects to 2.6% of the ipsilateral telencephalon and 1.99% of the contralateral telencephalon. The left bulb projects to 1.8% of the ipsilateral and 0.6% of the contralateral telencephalic hemisphere. Thus the left telencephalon receives roughly equal olfactory input from the two sides, while the right telencephalon receives vastly more input from the right olfactory system. The asymmetry in the projections of the right and left bulbs may be due to differential postmetamorphic growth of the olfactory system on the two sides.