Search results for "OLFACTORY"
showing 10 items of 319 documents
Refining the dual olfactory hypothesis: Pheromone reward and odour experience
2009
In rodents, sexual advertisement and gender recognition are mostly (if not exclusively) mediated by chemosignals. Specifically, there is ample evidence indicating that female mice are ‘innately’ attracted by male sexual pheromones that have critical non-volatile components and are detected by the vomeronasal organ. These pheromones can only get access to the vomeronasal organ by active pumping mechanisms that require close contact with the source of the stimulus (e.g. urine marks) during chemoinvestigation. We have hypothesised that male sexual pheromones are rewarding to female mice. Indeed, male-soiled bedding can be used as a reinforcer to induce conditioned place preference, provided co…
Liking the odour, liking the food. Toddlers' liking of strongly flavoured foods correlates with liking of their odour
2014
Olfaction plays a significant role in the sensing of foods. However, little information is available at any age on the relationship between the hedonic responses to given food odours and the effective liking and disliking of foods bearing these same odours. The present study aimed to assess the relationships between food odour liking and liking of the corresponding foods. This study relied on a longitudinal design involving 235 toddlers who were assessed for both their observed liking of a set of food odours and their parent-reported liking of foods at 12 and 22 months. To assess odour liking, eight odorants representing pleasant and unpleasant foods were presented in bottles along with neu…
Expression and differential localization of xenobiotic transporters in the rat olfactory neuro-epithelium.
2011
International audience; Transporters, such as multidrug resistance P-glycoproteins (MDR), multidrug resistance-related proteins (MRP) and organic anion transporters (OATs), are involved in xenobiotic metabolism, particularly the cellular uptake or efflux of xenobiotics (and endobiotics) or their metabolites. The olfactory epithelium is exposed to both inhaled xenobiotics and those coming from systemic circulation. This tissue has been described as a pathway for xenobiotics to the brain via olfactory perineural space. Thereby, olfactory transporters and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, dedicated to the inactivation and the elimination of xenobiotics, have been involved in the toxicological p…
Subventricular zone localized irradiation affects the generation of proliferating neural precursor cells and the migration of neuroblasts
2012
Radiation therapy is a part of the standard treatment for brain tumor patients, often resulting in irreversible neuropsychological deficits. These deficits may be due to permanent damage to the neural stem cell (NSC) niche, damage to local neural progenitors, or neurotoxicity. Using a computed tomography-guided localized radiation technique, we studied the effects of radiation on NSC proliferation and neuroblast migration in the mouse brain. Localized irradiation of the subventricular zone (SVZ) eliminated the proliferating neural precursor cells and migrating neuroblasts. After irradiation, type B cells in the SVZ lacked the ability to generate migrating neuroblasts. Neuroblasts from the u…
A basal ganglia-like cortical-amygdalar-hypothalamic network mediates feeding behavior.
2020
International audience; The network connecting the insular cortex, the central nucleus of the amygdala, and a caudal hypothalamic nuclear complex including the parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN) is of interest due to its role in controlling feeding behavior. Here, we show that the organization of this network is similar to that of the basal ganglia network, implying that both fit within a simplified structural plan of the forebrain. Then, we demonstrate that the PSTN complex modulates behavior in response to hedonic factors normally inducing a “reward effect.” The PSTN complex is involved in a “non-feed” response equivalent of a “non-reward” evaluation: “I don’t want to consume this food, recog…
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-containing elements in the olfactory bulb of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).
2002
Abstract The distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-immunopositive elements was analyzed in the olfactory bulb (OB) of the Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) under light and electron microscopy. The immunoreactivity appeared in an abundant population of periglomerular cells of the glomerular layer, in interneurons of the external plexiform layer, and in a restricted group of deep short-axon cells of the internal plexiform layer, the granule cell layer and the white matter. In the glomerular layer, VIP-containing periglomerular cells constituted a population of non-GABAergic neurons and did not receive synapses from olfactory axons. In the EPL, VIP-immunoreactiv…
Gene Transcription Alterations Associated with Decrease of Ethanol Intake Induced by Naltrexone in the Brain of Wistar Rats
2006
Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that the administration of the opioid antagonist naltrexone decreases the intake of ethanol. However, the neuroplastic adaptations in the brain associated to reduction of ethanol consumption remains to be elucidated. The aim of the study was to identify gene transcription alterations underlying the attenuation of voluntary ethanol intake by administration of naltrexone in rats. Increasing doses of naltrexone (0.7 mg/kg, 4 days and 1.4 mg/kg/day, 4 days) to rats with acquired high preferring ethanol consumption (>3.5 g of ethanol/kg/day) decreased voluntary ethanol intake (50%). Voluntary ethanol consumption altered mu-opioid receptor function in the …
α4-1 Subunit mRNA of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the rat olfactory bulb: cellular expression in adult, pre- and postnatal stages
1996
In addition to their role in signal transduction, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have been shown in vi-tro to be involved in neuronal growth cone regulation during development. This idea is supported by recent histochemical findings showing that iso- and archicortical nicotinic alpha4-1 receptor mRNA expression precedes cholinergic fiber ingrowth. To test whether this also holds true for rhinencephalic parts of the telencephalon, we have studied the olfactory bulb by digoxigenin-mediated in situ hybridization, using an alpha4-1 isoform-specific riboprobe and an alkaline-phosphatase-based detection system. Development is characterized by early intense alpha4-1 mRNA expression (embryonic d…
Mating Increases Neuronal Tyrosine Hydroxylase Expression and Selectively Gates Transmission of Male Chemosensory Information in Female Mice
2013
Exposure to chemosensory signals from unfamiliar males can terminate pregnancy in recently mated female mice. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in the main olfactory bulb has been found to increase following mating and has been implicated in preventing male-induced pregnancy block during the post-implantation period. In contrast, pre-implantation pregnancy block is mediated by the vomeronasal system, and is thought to be prevented by selective inhibition of the mate's pregnancy blocking chemosignals, at the level of the accessory olfactory bulb. The objectives of this study were firstly to identify the level of the vomeronasal pathway at which selective inhibition of the m…
Role of nitric oxide in pheromone-mediated intraspecific communication in mice
2009
Nitric oxide is known to take part in the control of sexual and agonistic behaviours. This is usually attributed to its role in neural transmission in the hypothalamus and other structures of the limbic system. However, socio-sexual behaviours in rodents are mainly directed by chemical signals detected by the vomeronasal system, and nitric oxide is abundant in key structures along the vomeronasal pathway. Thus, here we check whether pharmacological treatments interfering with nitrergic transmission could affect socio-sexual behaviour by impairing the processing of chemical signals. Treatment with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis (Nomega-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, L-N…