Chemosensory Function of the Amygdala

Gutiérrez-Castellanos, Nicolás; Martı́nez-Marcos, Alino; Martínez‐Garciá, Fernando; Lanuza, Enrique

doi:10.1016/s0083-6729(10)83007-9

Cited by 39 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 117 publications

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“…Following Kevetter and Winans (1981b), the term “olfactory amygdala” is used for the amygdaloid structures that are direct targets of the MOB, and the term “vomeronasal amygdala” refers to the amygdaloid structures that are direct targets of the AOB (Kevetter and Winans, 1981a). The term “chemosensory amygdala” includes both the olfactory and the vomeronasal amygdala (Gutierrez-Castellanos et al, 2010). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

et al. 2016

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The transitional zone between the ventral part of the piriform cortex and the anterior cortical nucleus of the amygdala, named the cortex-amygdala transition zone (CxA), shows two differential features that allow its identification as a particular structure. First, it receives dense cholinergic and dopaminergic innervations as compared to the adjacent piriform cortex and amygdala, and second, it receives projections from the main and accessory olfactory bulbs. In this work we have studied the pattern of afferent and efferent projections of the CxA, which are mainly unknown, by using the retrograde tracer Fluorogold and the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextranamine. The results show that the CxA receives a relatively restricted set of intratelencephalic connections, originated mainly by the olfactory system and basal forebrain, with minor afferents from the amygdala. The only relevant extratelencephalic afference originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The efferent projections of the CxA reciprocate the inputs from the piriform cortex and olfactory amygdala. In addition, the CxA projects densely to the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus and the olfactory tubercle. The extratelencephalic projections of the CxA are very scarce, and target mainly hypothalamic structures. The pattern of connections of the CxA suggests that it is indeed a transitional area between the piriform cortex and the cortical amygdala. Double labeling with choline acetyltransferase indicates that the afferent projection from the basal forebrain is the origin of its distinctive cholinergic innervation, and double labeling with dopamine transporter shows that the projection from the VTA is the source of dopaminergic innervation. These connectivity and neurochemical features, together with the fact that it receives vomeronasal in addition to olfactory information, suggest that the CxA may be involved in processing olfactory information endowed with relevant biological meaning, such as odors related to reproductive or defensive behaviors.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

et al. 2016

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“…Niewalda et al, 2011;Yoshida and Mori, 2007;Lin et al, 2005). An important mechanism for such a function in vertebrates could be the bulbar sensory modulatory feedback loop with the amygdala (Gutiérrez-Castellanos et al, 2010), which is associated with emotional processing, especially the formation, consolidation, and retention of fear memories (Ledoux, 2012), M a n u s c r i p t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 Understanding smell 13…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding smell—The olfactory stimulus problem

Auffarth

2013

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Please cite this article as: Auffarth, B., Understanding smell -the olfactory stimulus problem, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.009. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Page 1 of 27 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t -For the olfactory system, a topographic organization is disputed. -However, work on different species suggests a topography in olfaction.-We compare other modalities such as taste and color vision.-We discuss the utility of a categorization of smell perception. *Highlights (for review)Page 2 of 27 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews The main problem with sensory processing is the difficulty in relating sensory input to physiological responses and perception. This is especially problematic at higher levels of processing, where complex cues elicit highly specific responses. In olfaction, this relationship is particularly obfuscated by the difficulty of characterizing stimulus statistics and perception. The core questions in olfaction are hence the so-called stimulus problem, which refers to the understanding of the stimulus, and the structure-activity and structure-odor relationships, which refer to the molecular basis of smell. It is widely accepted that the recognition of odorants by receptors is governed by the detection of physico-chemical properties and that the physical space is highly complex. Not surprisingly, ideas differ about how odor stimuli should be classified and about the very nature of information that the brain extracts from odors. Even though there are many measures for smell, there is none that accurately describes all aspects of it. Here, we summarize recent developments in the understanding of olfaction. We argue that an approach to olfactory function where information processing is emphasized could contribute to a high degree to our understanding of smell as a perceptual phenomenon emerging from neural computations. Further, we argue that combined analysis of the stimulus, biology, physiology, and behavior and perception can provide new insights into olfactory function. We hope that the reader can use this review as a competent guide and overview of research activities in olfactory physiology, psychophysics, computation, and psychology. We propose avenues for research, particularly in the systematic characteriza...

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“…Also, fibers course through the stria terminalis to reach the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (Figure 8). Olfactory and vomeronasal projections converge at rostral levels of the basal telencephalon (Pro-Sistiaga et al, 2007) but not at caudal ones (Figure 9; Martinez-Marcos, 2009; Gutierrez-Castellanos et al, 2010). The differential expression of G proteins in the vomeronasal system (Halpern et al, 1995) and the cloning of two families of vomeronasal receptors (Dulac and Axel, 1995; Herrada and Dulac, 1997; Matsunami and Buck, 1997; Ryba and Tirindelli, 1997) led to the description of differential projections from the vomeronasal epithelium to the anterior and posterior divisions of the AOB (Jia and Halpern, 1996; Belluscio et al, 1999; Rodriguez et al, 1999).…”

Section: Taxonomic Overview Of Vertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cladistic Analysis of Olfactory and Vomeronasal Systems

Úbeda-Bañón¹,

Pro-Sistiaga²,

Mohedano-Moriano³

et al. 2011

Front. Neuroanat.

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Most tetrapods possess two nasal organs for detecting chemicals in their environment, which are the sensory detectors of the olfactory and vomeronasal systems. The seventies’ view that the olfactory system was only devoted to sense volatiles, whereas the vomeronasal system was exclusively specialized for pheromone detection was challenged by accumulating data showing deep anatomical and functional interrelationships between both systems. In addition, the assumption that the vomeronasal system appeared as an adaptation to terrestrial life is being questioned as well. The aim of the present work is to use a comparative strategy to gain insight in our understanding of the evolution of chemical “cortex.” We have analyzed the organization of the olfactory and vomeronasal cortices of reptiles, marsupials, and placental mammals and we have compared our findings with data from other taxa in order to better understand the evolutionary history of the nasal sensory systems in vertebrates. The olfactory and vomeronsasal cortices have been re-investigated in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis), short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica), and rats (Rattus norvegicus) by tracing the efferents of the main and accessory olfactory bulbs using injections of neuroanatomical anterograde tracers (dextran-amines). In snakes, the medial olfactory tract is quite evident, whereas the main vomeronasal-recipient structure, the nucleus sphaericus is a folded cortical-like structure, located at the caudal edge of the amygdala. In marsupials, which are acallosal mammals, the rhinal fissure is relatively dorsal and the olfactory and vomeronasal cortices relatively expanded. Placental mammals, like marsupials, show partially overlapping olfactory and vomeronasal projections in the rostral basal telencephalon. These data raise the interesting question of how the telencephalon has been re-organized in different groups according to the biological relevance of chemical senses.

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Chemosensory Function of the Amygdala

Cited by 39 publications

References 117 publications

Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

Understanding smell—The olfactory stimulus problem

Cladistic Analysis of Olfactory and Vomeronasal Systems

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