| Title: | A novel neural substrate for the transformation of olfactory inputs into motor output |
| Author(s): | Derjean D; Moussaddy A; Atallah E; St-Pierre M; Auclair F; Chang S; Ren X; Zielinski B; Dubuc R; |
| Address: | "Department of Kinesiology, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada" |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000567 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1545-7885 (Electronic) 1544-9173 (Print) 1544-9173 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "It is widely recognized that animals respond to odors by generating or modulating specific motor behaviors. These reactions are important for daily activities, reproduction, and survival. In the sea lamprey, mating occurs after ovulated females are attracted to spawning sites by male sex pheromones. The ubiquity and reliability of olfactory-motor behavioral responses in vertebrates suggest tight coupling between the olfactory system and brain areas controlling movements. However, the circuitry and the underlying cellular neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using lamprey brain preparations, and electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and tract tracing experiments, we describe the neural substrate responsible for transforming an olfactory input into a locomotor output. We found that olfactory stimulation with naturally occurring odors and pheromones induced large excitatory responses in reticulospinal cells, the command neurons for locomotion. We have also identified the anatomy and physiology of this circuit. The olfactory input was relayed in the medial part of the olfactory bulb, in the posterior tuberculum, in the mesencephalic locomotor region, to finally reach reticulospinal cells in the hindbrain. Activation of this olfactory-motor pathway generated rhythmic ventral root discharges and swimming movements. Our study bridges the gap between behavior and cellular neural mechanisms in vertebrates, identifying a specific subsystem within the CNS, dedicated to producing motor responses to olfactory inputs" |
| Keywords: | Animals Brain/anatomy & histology/physiology Female Male Motor Activity/*physiology Neurons/cytology/physiology Odorants Olfactory Bulb/anatomy & histology/physiology Olfactory Pathways/*anatomy & histology/*physiology Petromyzon/*anatomy & histology/*phy; |
| Notes: | "MedlineDerjean, Dominique Moussaddy, Aimen Atallah, Elias St-Pierre, Melissa Auclair, Francois Chang, Steven Ren, Xiang Zielinski, Barbara Dubuc, Rejean eng 15129/Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Canada 15176/Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Canada Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2011/01/05 PLoS Biol. 2010 Dec 21; 8(12):e1000567. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000567" |
