Lecture 9 - Olfaction and Taste Flashcards
The receptor cells that transduce odorant stimulu are
bona fide neurons.
The cell bodies are located in
the olfactory epithelium (OE)
In humans the OE lines what?
the posterodorsal part of the nasal cavity below the cribriform plate on the nasal septum and lateral nasal wall.
The OE neurons relay information via
axonal projections through the cribriform plate to the olfactory bulb (OB).
The OB is
the first relay in the sensory chain.
What drains through the cribiform plate and what is the clinical relevance?
CSF drains through and is a potential opening for infection
What is the connection between emotion and smell?
The orbitofrontal cortex
What are the OB targets?
1) pyriform cortex 2) olfactory tubercle 3) amygdale 4) entorhinal cortex
Senory neuron in the OE
1) true sensory neuron 2) death of the sensory neurons leaves the tracks that the new axons can fill
Why might a patient smell an apple that smells like something else?
Death of a lot of sensory neurons in the OE result in the incoming axons forming new connections which changes the perception
Bulbar neurons
project via the lateral olfactory tract to the piriform (olfactory) cortex located at the tip of the temporal lobe.
What happens to the information after it gets to the olfactory cortex?
From here information flows in many directions: to parts of the neocortex via the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus and to the lateral hypothalamus
The OE contains:
basal cells, neurons and supporting cells.
The neurons of the OE are?
bipolar with an apical dendrite ending in a knob with immotile cilia. Each neuron also has a thin unmyelinated axon (C fiber) that projects to the bulb.
Neurogenesis in the olfactory epithelium
Basal cells continually undergo mitotic division in a stem cell mode. Sensory neurons have a life span of approx. 30 days. Therefore, epithelial projections are continually being broken down and reforming
What is the sequence of stimulus transduction?
(1)odorant delivered to the epithelium along the airstream (2)odorant diffuses through the mucus to reach the cilia (3)odorant interacts with receptor protein (4)binding to the receptor results in a depolarizing receptor potential (5)the biochemistry of t
What is the key ion in the sequence of stimulus transduction?
Ca
What is the largest GPCR family?
Olfactory receptors
What is the effect of a zonal distribution pattern?
Spatial pattern code where there is integration of the receptor type with differing binding affinity
What underlies odor coding?
Receptor expression patterns
Describe the olfactory receptor within a zone?
Can be either homogenously distributed or have a clustered distribution pattern
Are olfactory receptors specific?
Receptors are promiscuous with what they respond to
Single unit recordings of individual olfactory sensory neurons show what?
That neurons are broadly tuned.
The diversity of physiologically defined types of olfactory neurons parallels what?
the number of ORs.
What determines the physiological responsiveness of an olfactory neuron?
the particular OR a neuron expresses where any one OR is broadly tuned to respond to a lot of different odorants, which share a common molecular feature.
The encoding of odorants at the level of the olfactory epithelium is
spatial
Compare the areas of the epithelium in their response to odorants.
There are inherent or intrinsic differences
The inherent differences in response to odorants reflect what?
the distribution of ORs
What is the result of inherent differences in response to odorants?
Each odorant has its own fingerprint
What is the most rostral part of the CNS?
The olfactory bulb