« Previous AbstractOn-line detection of human skin vapors    Next Abstract"Parental perinatal exposure to bisphenol A reduces the threshold to disrupt blastocyst implantation via decreasing talin, occudin and E-cadherin levels" »

Prog Neurobiol

Title:		On the organization of olfactory and vomeronasal cortices
Author(s):		Martinez-Marcos A;
Address:		"Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Humana, Departamento de Ciencias Medicas, Facultad de Medicina, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avda. Almansa 14, 02006 Albacete, Spain. Alino.Martinez@uclm.es"
Journal Title:		Prog Neurobiol
Year:		2009
Volume:		20080925
Issue:		1
Page Number:		21 - 30
DOI:		10.1016/j.pneurobio.2008.09.010
ISSN/ISBN:		0301-0082 (Print) 0301-0082 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Classically, the olfactory and vomeronasal pathways are thought to run in parallel non-overlapping axes in the forebrain subserving different functions. The olfactory and vomeronasal epithelia project to the main and accessory olfactory bulbs (primary projections), which in turn project to different areas of the telencephalon in a non-topographic fashion (secondary projections) and so on (tertiary projections). New data indicate that projections arising from the main and accessory olfactory bulbs converge widely in the rostral basal telencephalon. In contrast, in the vomeronasal system, cloning two classes of vomeronasal receptors (V1R and V2R) has led to the distinction of two anatomically and functionally independent pathways that reach some common, but also some different, targets in the amygdala. Tertiary projections from the olfactory and vomeronasal amygdalae are directed to the ventral striatum, which thus becomes a site for processing and potential convergence of chemosensory stimuli. Functional data indicate that the olfactory and vomeronasal systems are able to detect and process volatiles (presumptive olfactory cues) as well as pheromones in both epithelia and bulbs. Collectively, these data indicate that the anatomical and functional distinction between the olfactory and vomeronasal systems should be re-evaluated. Specifically, the recipient cortex should be reorganized to include olfactory, vomeronasal (convergent and V1R and V2R specific areas) and mixed (olfactory and vomeronasal) chemosensory cortices. This new perspective could help to unravel olfactory and vomeronasal interactions in behavioral paradigms"
Keywords:		Animals Humans Olfactory Pathways/*physiology Prosencephalon/*physiology Vomeronasal Organ/*physiology;
Notes:		"MedlineMartinez-Marcos, Alino eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review England 2008/10/22 Prog Neurobiol. 2009 Jan 12; 87(1):21-30. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2008.09.010. Epub 2008 Sep 25"