Electrophysiology of olfacto-limbic-hypothalamic connections in the pig

To analyse fibre connections between the olfactory bulb (OB) and limbic-hypothalamic structures, the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) was stimulated electrically and extracellular action potentials were recorded from single units in the OB, the cortico-medial portion of the amygdala (AMY) and the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH). More than 29% of the antidromically identified mitral cells in the OB showed a spontaneous episodic firing pattern consisting of alternating periods of activity and inactivity. Nearly 14% of the orthodromically excited non-mitral cells showed the same phasic firing pattern. 2.9% of AMY neurons were antidromically activated by LOT stimulation, whereas more than 52% showed orthodromic responses. In contrast to the AMY no neuron in the MBH could be antidromically invaded by electrical stimulation. The incidence of orthodromic responses was much less in the MBH when compared to the AMY (13.5%). It is concluded that the firing pattern of OB cells in the pig is complex, often phasic and unrelated to respiration or sniffing. The main OB is more closely related to the AMY than to the MBH. It is suggested that olfactory information is probably transmitted to the MBH via the AMY. The AMY may play a role in the regulation of OB activity.