Mechanisms of odor discrimination: neurophysiological and behavioral approaches

Trends Neurosci. 2006 Jan;29(1):40-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2005.10.004. Epub 2005 Nov 14.

Abstract

Understanding how complex neuronal circuits in the brain perform advanced computations is a central question in neuroscience that can only be addressed using a combination of approaches, including neurophysiology and behavioral analyses. In the olfactory bulb, neurophysiological studies have revealed that neuronal interactions reorganize odor-evoked activity patterns so that their discriminability is enhanced. Recent behavioral studies have examined the role of this computation in odor discrimination tasks and generated working models of behavioral odor discrimination strategies. The results appear consistent with a role of pattern reorganization in odor discrimination behavior but further studies are necessary to resolve this issue. These studies advance the understanding of neuronal circuit function in the olfactory bulb and illustrate benefits and caveats of comparing behavioral and neurophysiological results.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Discrimination Learning / physiology*
  • Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / physiology
  • Humans
  • Models, Neurological
  • Neurophysiology / methods*
  • Odorants*
  • Olfactory Bulb / physiology*
  • Smell / physiology*