| Title: | Multimodal learning of pheromone locations |
| Author(s): | Pardasani M; Marathe SD; Purnapatre MM; Dalvi U; Abraham NM; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behaviour (LNCB), Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India. Institute of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1530-6860 (Electronic) 0892-6638 (Print) 0892-6638 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Memorizing pheromonal locations is critical for many mammalian species as it involves finding mates and avoiding competitors. In rodents, pheromonal information is perceived by the main and accessory olfactory systems. However, the role of somatosensation in context-dependent learning and memorizing of pheromone locations remains unexplored. We addressed this problem by training female mice on a multimodal task to locate pheromones by sampling volatiles emanating from male urine through the orifices of varying dimensions or shapes that are sensed by their vibrissae. In this novel pheromone location assay, female mice' preference toward male urine scent decayed over time when they were permitted to explore pheromones vs neutral stimuli, water. On training them for the associations involving olfactory and whisker systems, it was established that they were able to memorize the location of opposite sex pheromones, when tested 15 days later. This memory was not formed either when the somatosensory inputs through whisker pad were blocked or when the pheromonal cues were replaced with that of same sex. The association between olfactory and somatosensory systems was further confirmed by the enhanced expression of the activity-regulated cytoskeleton protein. Furthermore, the activation of main olfactory bulb circuitry by pheromone volatiles did not cause any modulation in learning and memorizing non-pheromonal volatiles. Our study thus provides the evidence for associations formed between different sensory modalities facilitating the long-term memory formation relevant to social and reproductive behaviors" |
| Keywords: | Animals Discrimination Learning/*physiology Female Male Memory/physiology Mice Odorants/*analysis Olfactory Bulb/metabolism Olfactory Perception/*physiology Pheromones/*analysis Size Perception/physiology Smell/*physiology Vibrissae/*physiology non-pherom; |
| Notes: | "MedlinePardasani, Meenakshi Marathe, Shruti D Purnapatre, Maitreyee Mandar Dalvi, Urvashi Abraham, Nixon M eng Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom IA/I/14/1/501306/WTDBT_/DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance/India Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2021/08/19 FASEB J. 2021 Sep; 35(9):e21836. doi: 10.1096/fj.202100167R" |
