Olfactory Bulb
Olfactory Bulb - Related Videos
06:32
Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes
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2017
Olfactory sensory neurons express a wide variety of axon-sorting molecules to establish proper neural circuitry. This protocol describes an immunohistochemical staining method to visualize combinatorial expressions of axon-sorting molecules at the axon termini of olfactory sensory neurons.
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.
11:08
Recording Temperature-induced Neuronal Activity through Monitoring Calcium Changes in the Olfactory Bulb of Xenopus laevis
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Cited by 3 •
2016
Here we describe a protocol for measuring and analyzing temperature responses in the olfactory bulb of Xenopus laevis. Olfactory receptor neurons and mitral cells are differentially stained, after which calcium changes are recorded, reflecting a sensitivity of some neural networks in the bulb to temperature drops induced at the nose.
08:18
Targeting Olfactory Bulb Neurons Using Combined In Vivo Electroporation and Gal4-Based Enhancer Trap Zebrafish Lines
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Cited by 8 •
2011
The temporal and spatial resolution of genetic manipulations determines the spectrum of biological phenomena that they can perturb. Here we use temporally and spatially discrete in vivo electroporation, combined with transgenic lines of zebrafish, to induce expression of a GFP transgene specifically in neurons of the developing olfactory bulb.
08:59
Ex Vivo Preparations of the Intact Vomeronasal Organ and Accessory Olfactory Bulb
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Cited by 5 •
2014
The mouse accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) has been difficult to study in the context of sensory coding. Here, we demonstrate a dissection that produces an ex vivo preparation in which AOB neurons remain functionally connected to their peripheral inputs, facilitating research into information processing of mouse pheromones and kairomones.
FAQs
Convergence brings signals from olfactory sensory neurons into organized processing sites within the olfactory bulb. At these glomeruli, the incoming information can communicate with mitral and tufted cells, helping transform chemical detection into patterns of neural activity. This arrangement gives researchers a defined circuit location for examining how odor-related signals are initially organized.
Mitral and tufted cells receive information through the bulb’s glomerular circuitry and help carry processed odor signals toward higher olfactory regions. Their position links early sensory input with downstream brain areas, making them important for investigating how activity generated by odorant binding becomes information that the rest of the olfactory system can use.
Local interneurons shape the signals produced within the olfactory bulb before those signals reach higher olfactory regions. This local influence means that odor processing is not simply a direct relay from sensory neurons to downstream areas. Studying interneuron effects therefore helps explain how neural circuits modify incoming information and contribute to odor-related activity patterns.
The olfactory bulb contributes to odor coding by converting receptor-driven chemical information into patterns of neural activity. Researchers can examine how signals converge in glomeruli, interact with mitral and tufted cells, and are modified by interneurons. These circuit relationships provide a biological framework for studying how the nervous system represents sensory information rather than merely detecting it.
Its organization connects identifiable stages of processing, from odorant binding in olfactory sensory neurons to glomerular convergence, cellular communication, and transmission to higher olfactory regions. Because these stages can be related to patterns of neural activity, the olfactory bulb offers a model for examining how biological circuits encode sensory inputs and transform them into information used by the brain.
Research on the olfactory bulb can examine how sensory processing relates to learning and memory. Odor-driven activity provides a way to investigate the relationship between neural circuit organization and these broader brain functions. In biology, this makes the bulb useful not only for studying smell, but also for exploring how sensory systems participate in more complex behaviors and experiences.
The olfactory bulb is relevant because it is an early site where odor-related information is organized and processed before reaching higher olfactory regions. Investigating its circuitry and activity can therefore inform studies of smell disorders. This work also supports broader research on brain function by showing how changes in a sensory pathway may affect the handling of chemical signals.