Perceptual stability during dramatic changes in olfactory bulb activation maps and dramatic declines in activation amplitudes
Perceptual stability during dramatic changes in olfactory bulb activation maps and dramatic declines in activation amplitudes
Date
2007-03-30
Authors
Homma, Ryota
Cohen, Lawrence B.
Kosmidis, E. K.
Youngentob, S. L.
Cohen, Lawrence B.
Kosmidis, E. K.
Youngentob, S. L.
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Toward an estimate of the number of receptor neuron spikes needed for odor identification
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Abstract
We measured the concentration dependence of the ability of rats to identify odorants and
compared these results with the calcium signals in the nerve terminals of the olfactory receptor
neurons. Odorant identification remained far above random chance at all concentrations tested
(between 0.0006% and 35% of saturated vapor). In contrast the calcium signals were much
smaller than their maximum values at odorant concentrations less than 1% of saturated vapor.
Extrapolation suggests that only a few spikes in olfactory sensory neurons may be sufficient for
correct odorant identification.
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Author Posting. © The Authors, 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in European Journal of Neuroscience 29 (2009): 1027-1034, doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06644.x.