Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol 73, Issue 1 387-398, Copyright © 1995 by APS

ARTICLES

Mucosal inherent activity patterns in the rat: evidence from voltage-sensitive dyes

S. L. Youngentob, P. F. Kent, P. R. Sheehe, J. E. Schwob and E. Tzoumaka
Department of Physiology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse 13210.

1. Fluorescence changes in the dye di-4-ANEPPS were monitored on the rat's nasal septum and medial surface of the turbinates in response to odorant stimuli. For each mucosal surface a 6.0 x 6.0-mm area was sampled at 100 contiguous sites with a 10 x 10 photodiode array. The odorants were propyl acetate, 2-propanol, citral, L-carvone and ethylacetoacetate, each presented at a low and high concentration. 2. Like previous work using optical recording techniques and potential-sensitive dyes on the amphibian epithelium, the fluorescence signals elicited by odorant stimuli in the rat preparation were nearly identical in shape, time course, and response characteristics as the electroolfactogram (EOG). As with the EOG, a response could only be recorded in the presence of odorant stimuli (that is, no response was detected when nonodorized, humidified air was presented as the stimulus); the amplitude depended on odorant concentration, and the response was abolished both by ether and Triton X-100. 3. Although the entire expanse of each sampled tissue (i.e., septum and medial surface of the turbinates) responded to stimulation with each odorant, each stimulus induced a distinct spatial pattern of activity that was independent of odorant concentration and consistent from animal to animal. Furthermore, the spatial activity patterns recorded for the septum were mirror images of those recorded from the medial surface of the turbinates. 4. Formal statistical analysis of the loci of maximal activity or "hot spot" indicated highly significant effects of the odorants for both the septum and medial surface of the turbinates. 5. The results of these studies give further support to the hypothesis that odorant quality is encoded by differential spatial activity patterns in the olfactory epithelium that are characteristic of different odorants.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. W. Scott Sniffing and Spatiotemporal Coding in Olfaction Chem Senses, February 1, 2006; 31(2): 119 - 130. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Tian and M. Ma Molecular Organization of the Olfactory Septal Organ J. Neurosci., September 22, 2004; 24(38): 8383 - 8390. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. L. Iwema, H. Fang, D. B. Kurtz, S. L. Youngentob, and J. E. Schwob Odorant Receptor Expression Patterns Are Restored in Lesion-Recovered Rat Olfactory Epithelium J. Neurosci., January 14, 2004; 24(2): 356 - 369. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. L. Youngentob, P. F. Kent, and F. L. Margolis OMP Gene Deletion Results in an Alteration in Odorant-Induced Mucosal Activity Patterns J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2003; 90(6): 3864 - 3873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Xu, N. Liu, I. Kida, D. L. Rothman, F. Hyder, and G. M. Shepherd Odor maps of aldehydes and esters revealed by functional MRI in the glomerular layer of the mouse olfactory bulb PNAS, September 16, 2003; 100(19): 11029 - 11034. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. K. Alkasab, J. White, and J. S. Kauer A Computational System for Simulating and Analyzing Arrays of Biological and Artificial Chemical Sensors Chem Senses, March 1, 2002; 27(3): 261 - 275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.A. Chaput EOG Responses in Anesthetized Freely Breathing Rats Chem Senses, December 1, 2000; 25(6): 695 - 701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P.E. Scott-Johnson, D. Blakley, and J.W. Scott Effects of Air Flow on Rat Electroolfactogram Chem Senses, December 1, 2000; 25(6): 761 - 768. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Scott and T. Brierley A Functional Map in Rat Olfactory Epithelium Chem Senses, December 1, 1999; 24(6): 679 - 690. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Scott, D. E. Shannon, J. Charpentier, L. M. Davis, and C. Kaplan Spatially Organized Response Zones in Rat Olfactory Epithelium J Neurophysiol, April 1, 1997; 77(4): 1950 - 1962. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Ma and G. M. Shepherd Functional mosaic organization of mouse olfactory receptor neurons PNAS, November 7, 2000; 97(23): 12869 - 12874. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]