Mouse Olfactory System
Mouse Olfactory System - Related Videos
09:00
Olfactory Behavioral Testing in the Adult Mouse
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Cited by 68 •
2009
Fundamental, yet unique properties of the rodent olfactory system have led to its increasing study among biologists. A relatively simple assessment of its function is then also needed. Here we describe sensitive tests for the characterization of mouse olfactory sensitivity and preference.
03:42
Rapid Dissection and Dissociation of the Mouse Olfactory Epithelium for Single-Nucleus Suspensions
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Cited by 1 •
2025
This article provides a streamlined protocol for the dissection and dissociation of murine olfactory epithelium for the purpose of single-nucleus RNA sequencing.
06:27
An Olfactory Preference Test for Measuring Olfactory Hedonic Biases in Mouse Models of Depression
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2025
Here, we present a protocol of an olfactory preference test that allows for the assessment of negative olfactory biases towards both appetitive and aversive odor stimuli in mouse models of depression.
08:30
Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals
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Cited by 9 •
2011
This article presents the protocols of intrinsic optical signals and flavoproteins autofluorescence signals imaging to map odor-evoked activities at the surface of the olfactory bulb in mice.
09:51
Analyzing Responses of Mouse Olfactory Sensory Neurons Using the Air-phase Electroolfactogram Recording
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Cited by 34 •
2010
The electroolfactogram (EOG) recording is an informative, easy-to-conduct, and reliable way of assessing olfactory function at the level of the olfactory epithelium. This protocol describes a recording setup, mouse tissue preparation, data collection, and basic data analysis.
FAQs
Sensory neuron axons do not terminate randomly in the olfactory bulb. They converge into organized glomeruli, creating a structured relay between receptor activation and downstream brain regions. This arrangement gives researchers a way to relate activity at the sensory-neuron level to larger patterns of odor representation, discrimination, and behavioral response.
After signals are organized in the olfactory bulb, they reach cortical and limbic regions. Studying these destinations connects sensory representations with higher-level outcomes such as odor learning, social communication, navigation, food-related responses, and danger-related behavior. The pathway therefore supports investigation of how neural activity becomes meaningful perception and action.
Plasticity allows researchers to examine how olfactory circuits change as animals learn or respond to different experiences. In this context, the mouse olfactory system provides a model for linking altered circuit organization or activity with odor learning and behavior. This makes it useful for studying how sensory networks remain adaptable rather than functioning as fixed pathways.
Odor discrimination can be studied by connecting the identity of an airborne chemical with the organization of sensory inputs in olfactory-bulb glomeruli and their downstream targets. Comparing these circuit representations with behavioral responses helps clarify how the brain distinguishes odors and how sensory coding contributes to actions such as finding food, navigating, or avoiding danger.
It links identifiable stages of sensory processing with a broad range of observable behaviors. Researchers can investigate receptor-level detection, organized olfactory-bulb circuitry, cortical and limbic processing, learning, plasticity, and behavior within one mammalian system. This combination makes the model valuable for studying general principles of sensory coding and brain-behavior relationships.
Studies can ask how odors are represented, how neural circuits support discrimination, how experience changes olfactory processing, and how sensory signals guide behavior. Relevant outcomes include odor learning, social communication, navigation, food-related responses, and danger responses. These questions place olfaction within broader neuroscience research on perception, circuit organization, plasticity, and behavior.