Odor hedonics coding in the vertebrate olfactory bulb
Florence Kermen, Nathalie Mandairon, Laura Chalençon
Abstract
Whether an odorant is perceived as pleasant or unpleasant (hedonic value) governs a range of crucial behaviors: foraging, escaping danger, and social interaction. Despite its importance in olfactory perception, little is known regarding how odor hedonics is represented and encoded in the brain. Here, we review recent findings describing how odorant hedonic value is represented in the first olfaction processing center, the olfactory bulb. We discuss how olfactory bulb circuits might contribute to the coding of innate and learned odorant hedonics in addition to the odorant's physicochemical properties.
Topics & Concepts
Olfactory bulbOdorOlfactionPerceptionOlfactory memoryNeuroscienceOlfactory perceptionOlfactory systemVertebrateForagingPsychologyCoding (social sciences)BiologyCognitive psychologyEcologyCentral nervous systemSociologyGeneBiochemistrySocial scienceOlfactory and Sensory Function StudiesNeurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchBiochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques