Some behaviour associated with

olfaction
Two olfactory subsystems
Main
Vomeronasal

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Olfaction

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Physiological and behavioural

responses to odours.
Visceral responses: Smell food-->
salivation and gastric motility
Noxious smell-->gag

Physiological and behavioural

responses to odours.
Reproductive and endocrine functions
Women housed together synchronize
menstral cycles
Smelling gauze pads from underarms of
women also synchronizes menstral cycles.

Physiological and behavioural

responses to odours.
Infants recognize mothers by scent
Mothers can recognize the scent her
baby.

Pheromones
Species specific odorants.
Some pheromones stimulate the vomeronasal organ
VNO--> accessory olfactory bulb-->hypothalamus.
(Found in 8% of human adults), VNO receptors are
pseudogenes in humans.

Olfactory receptor (sensory)

neuron
In the olfactory epithelium
Have cilia projecting into the nasal
cavity mucus
These cells become damaged, and
turnover.

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Transduction

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Odorant Receptors
Homologous to a large family of G
protein coupled receptors.
G proteins interact with the carboxyl
terminal
Membrane spanning regions differ.

Odorant Receptors
The largest known gene family
Between 3% and 5% of all genes.
In humans, 60% of the odorant
receptors are not transcribed.

Odorant Receptors
Have been expressed in olfactory
sensory neurons with reporter proteins.
Each olfactory sensory neuron
expresses only one or at most a few
odorant receptor genes.
Different odors must activate a subset
of olfactory sensory neurons.

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Olfactory Coding
Each olfactory sensory neuron
responds to a subset of odorants.
Threshold values vary.
Number of ligands vary.

Olfactory Coding
I7 receptor
N-octanol (cut grass)
The I7 olfactory receptors are spatially coded
in the olfactory epithelium and in the olfactory
bulb.

Olfactory Coding
Temporal coding.
MAYBE information conveyed by timing.
In insects (now also in fish) brain neurons
sychronize responses. (Gilles Laurent)

Olfactory signals in the brain.

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Olfactory bulb

Glomerular subsets receive input from

olfactory sensory neurons that express
distinct odorant receptor molecules.
These glomeruli seem to be selective
for odors.

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Mitral cell projections

Mitral cell axons form the lateral
olfactory tract.
Projects to accessory olfactory nuclei,
olfactory tubercule, entorhinal cortex,
amygdala, pyriform cortex.
Pyriform cortex axons project to
thalamus, hippothalamus,
hippocampus, amygdala.

Taste System
Taste cells
Taste buds
Peripheral cells, a number of central
pathways.

Taste cells synapse onto primary

sensory axons of:
Cranial nerves:
VII (facial nerve branches)
IX (glossopharyngeal nerve branches)
X (vagus nerve branches)

Projections of taste neurons

Cranial nerves VII, IX and X project to
the solitary nucleus of the brainstem
(gustatory nucleus)
Topography of the cranial nerve input to
the gustatory nucleus.
Integration of visceral and gustatory
input.

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Projections from the gustatory nucleus

Thalamus--> cortex
Hypothalamus (homeostasis),
amygdala

Human taste perception

Soluble in saliva
NaCl (electrolyte balance)
Glutamate (amino acids)
Sugars (glucose)
Acids (palatability)
Plant alkaloids (bitter, poison indicating)

Threshold concentrations
NaCl, 2 mM
Sucrose 10 mM
Quinine 0.008 mM, strychnine 0.0001 mM
Gustatory sensitivity decreases with age.

Human taste
Response thresholds vary in different
parts of the tongue.
Taste sensations as well: fat, spicey,
metallic, taste mixtures.

Sweet
Saccharides - glucose, sucrose, fuctose,
cAMP pathway
Organic anions - saccharin
Amino acids - aspartame, activate IP3
pathways
People can discriminate these.

Peripheral organization
Papillae
Fungiform
Circumvallate
Foliate

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Taste bud
Taste pore
Taste cells