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Vertebrate slit, a secreted ligand for the transmembrane protein roundabout, is a repellent for olfactory bulb axons.

The olfactory bulb plays a central role in olfactory information processing through its connections with both peripheral and cortical structures. Axons projecting from the olfactory bulb to the telencephalon are guided by a repulsive activity in the septum. The molecular nature of the repellent is not known. We report here the isolation of vertebrate homologs of the Drosophila slit gene and show that Slit protein binds to the transmembrane protein Roundabout (Robo). Slit is expressed in the septum whereas Robo is expressed in the olfactory bulb. Functionally, Slit acts as a chemorepellent for olfactory bulb axons. These results establish a ligand-receptor relationship between two molecules important for neural development, suggest a role for Slit in olfactory bulb axon guidance, and reveal the existence of a new family of axon guidance molecules.

Animals↗

Facilitation of olfactory bulb kindling after specific destruction of serotoninergic terminals in the olfactory bulb of the rat.

The role of serotonin (5-HT) in the kindling model of epilepsy was investigated by performing specific lesions of the 5-HT innervation at the level of the primary epileptogenic focus. We injected bilaterally 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine in the olfactory bulb (OB) of adult rats which were submitted to electrical stimulations of the OB until the occurrence of stage-5 seizures. Immunohistochemical controls of lesions were realized with a specific anti-5-HT antibody. Results revealed that the lesions facilitated the initial development of kindling (increase of afterdischarge duration and of kindling rate), suggesting that 5-HT terminals exert a modulatory effect on the propagation of the epileptic activity.

Animals↗

Peripheral lipopolysaccharide induces apoptosis in the murine olfactory bulb.

The olfactory bulb (OB) is one of the few structures in the adult mammalian CNS that contains a continuous supply of newly generated neurons in the subventricular zone. Therefore, the balance between the supply of new cells and apoptosis in the OB might determine olfactory function. Lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha triggers the apoptotic cascade mediated by the TNF/TNF receptor (TNFR) pathway. The present study therefore examines the effect of the propagated innate immune reaction triggered by peripheral lipopolysaccharide on the OB of C3H/HeN mice. Within 2 h of an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide, mRNA expression levels of the genes encoding IkappaB, TNF-alpha, and TNFR type 1 in the mouse OB were significantly enhanced. Double immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed that almost all TNF-alpha-immunopositive cells in the OB of the TNF-injected mice were located in the subependymal zone and that they overlapped cells immunostained with antibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein, but not with the antibody against F4/80, an antigenic marker of microglia. The number of TUNEL-positive cells identified exclusively in the granule cell layer was significantly increased in mice injected with lipopolysaccharide and sacrificed at 24 h thereafter. These results suggest that peripheral lipopolysaccharide causes disequilibrium between the supply and disappearance of the cells in the OB, which might lead to olfactory dysfunction.

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Apomorphine disrupts odour-induced patterns of glomerular activation in the olfactory bulb.

The olfactory bulb of adult male rats stimulated with propionic acid vapours displays a characteristic focus of high metabolic activity in the dorso-medial glomeruli, as revealed by the 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) method. Injection of the dopaminergic agonist apomorphine (1.5 mg kg-1) prior to odour stimulation completely abolishes this selective pattern of glomerular activation, while the metabolic activity of other bulbar areas is not significantly altered. This effect is abolished by a previous injection of the dopamine antagonist haloperidol (0.1 mg kg-1). These observations emphasize the probable involvement of dopamine and dopamine receptors in the bulbar processing of olfactory information.

Animals↗

Chronotopic organization of olfactory bulb axons in the lateral olfactory tract.

The arrangement of axons in a tract can have a specific effect on the organization of functional neuronal circuits. Here we describe olfactory bulb axons chronologically arranged in the lateral olfactory tract. Newly differentiated projection neurons over the whole olfactory bulb are similarly marked with transient expression of c-kit protein. Their axons are assembled together and project into the ventral superficial part of the tract, displacing the older axons. This special assembly of the axons explains the nontopographic relationships between the olfactory bulb and the lateral olfactory tract axons that have been described in previous studies and could possibly influence the subsequent selection of the olfactory target areas by these axons.

Animals↗

Functional regeneration of the olfactory bulb requires reconnection to the olfactory nerve in Xenopus larvae.

Larvae of the South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) can regenerate the telencephalon, which consists of the olfactory bulb and the cerebrum, after it has been partially removed. Some authors have argued that the telencephalon, once removed, must be reconnected to the olfactory nerve in order to regenerate. However, considerable regeneration has been observed before reconnection. Therefore, we have conducted several experiments to learn whether or not reconnection is a prerequisite for regeneration. We found that the olfactory bulb did not regenerate without reconnection, while the cerebrum regenerated by itself. On the other hand, when the brain was reconnected by the olfactory nerve, both the cerebrum and the olfactory bulb regenerated. Morphological and histological investigation showed that the regenerated telencephalon was identical to the intact one in morphology, types and distributions of cells, and connections between neurons. Froglets with a regenerated telencephalon also recovered olfaction, the primary function of the frog telencephalon. These results suggest that the Xenopus larva requires reconnection of the regenerating brain to the olfactory nerve in order to regenerate the olfactory bulb, and thus the regenerated brain functions, in order to process olfactory information.

Animals↗

The role of olfactory bulb norepinephrine in early olfactory learning.

Wistar rat pups were implanted with bilateral olfactory bulb cannulas on postnatal day 5 (PN5). On PN6, pups were trained in an olfactory classical conditioning task with peppermint odor as the CS and tactile stimulation/stroking as the UCS. Pups were randomly assigned to either PAIRED, BACKWARD or ODOR-only conditions. Half the pups in each group received intrabulbar infusions of 100 microM propranolol and half received intrabulbar infusions of saline during the training session. Propranolol infusions blocked acquisition of the learned odor preference expressed by PAIRED saline-infused pups. Diffusion of the infusate was checked in additional pups by infusing [3H]NE and performing LSC analysis. Infusate concentration did not significantly differ between the anterior and posterior halves of the bulb, but were sharply lower in the olfactory peduncle and more posterior areas. The results suggest that olfactory bulb NE is critical for early olfactory learning.

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Scopolamine injection into the olfactory bulb impairs short-term olfactory memory in rats.

A previous experiment showed that systemic administration of the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine altered delayed matching in an olfactory task in rats. The present experiment tested whether the impairment could result from blockade of the cholinergic transmission in the first relay structure of the olfactory system, the olfactory bulb. Drug was infused directly into both olfactory bulbs before test sessions. Results showed that the intrabulbar infusion reproduced the effect of the systemic administration. With a 4-s delay between target odor and choice test, performances of treated rats remained unchanged; but with a 30-s delay, rats performed randomly. Results from a complementary electrophysiological experiment in anesthetized rats support the idea that scopolamine injected into the olfactory bulb was unlikely to have reached more central structures. Further evidence for the involvement of pure sensory areas in short-term memory is concluded.

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Increased expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase mRNA in the accessory olfactory bulb during the formation of olfactory recognition memory in mice.

The mouse accessory olfactory bulb contains a high density of nitric oxide synthase and, in females, is involved in the formation of a mating and pheromone-specific recognition memory. The exact role of nitric oxide in this memory model is not yet clearly understood. In this study, in situ hybridization was used to assess neuronal nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression during the critical interval associated with synaptic plasticity in the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice leading to the formation of a recognition memory for the stud male pheromones present following mating. Nitric oxide synthase mRNA was significantly increased following mating and 120-min stud male exposure compared with oestrus mice. The mRNA expression was more predominant in the anterior than the posterior regions of the bulb. These observations indicate a stimulus-specific activation of nitric oxide gene expression in the female mouse accessory olfactory bulb and support the hypothesis that nitric oxide may modulate intermediate synaptic pathways during the formation of a pheromone-dependent olfactory recognition for stud males.

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Emerging principles of molecular signal processing by mitral/tufted cells in the olfactory bulb.

The olfactory system shares many principles of functional organization with other sensory systems, but differs in that the sensory input is in the form of molecular information carried in odor molecules. Current studies are providing new insights into how this information is processed. In analogy with the spatial receptive fields of visual neurons, the molecular receptive range of olfactory cells is defined as the range of odor molecules that will affect the firing of that cell. Olfactory receptor molecules belong to a large gene family; it is hypothesized that individual receptor molecules may have relatively broad molecular receptive ranges, and that an individual receptor cell need therefore express only one or a few different types of receptors to cover a broad range. Mitral/tufted cells have narrower molecular receptive ranges, comprising molecules with related structures (odotopes). This is believed to reflect processing through the olfactory glomeruli, each glomerulus acting as a convergence center for related inputs. Varying overlapping specificities of receptor cells, glomeruli and mitral/tufted cells appear to provide the basis for discrimination of odor molecules, in analogy with discrimination of color in the visual system.

Action Potentials↗

Immunohistochemical localization of laminin, fibronectin and collagen type IV in the nerve fiber layer of the olfactory bulb.

When the olfactory nerve is injured in adult mammals, the axons grow across the PNS-CNS transitional zone and re-innervate their synaptic contacts within the olfactory bulb. Some years ago, Liesi [Liesi P. (1985) Laminin-immunoreactive glia distinguish regenerative adult CNS systems from non-regenerative ones. EMBO J. 4, 2505-2511] reported the presence of laminin in non-basal lamina locations within the nerve fiber layer (NFL) of the olfactory bulb of adult rats and suggested that this molecule may facilitate olfactory axonal growth into and within the CNS. The purpose of the present study was to compare the expression of laminin, fibronectin, and collagen type IV in: (a) the NFL of developing and adult rats; and (b) the NFL rostral and caudal to a stab wound in the olfactory bulb of adult rats. Numerous punctate deposits of immunofluorescence were seen in the NFL of the E18 (Theiler stage 23) bulb when antisera to laminin, fibronectin or collagen type IV were used. There was a dramatic drop-off in staining at the border between the NFL and the presumptive glomerular layer. The staining pattern was similar in the newborn bulb, although the immunofluorescence was not as strong. In the unoperated adult rats, only laminin was present consistently as punctate deposits within the NFL, whereas all three antisera stained numerous punctate deposits within the NFL during the first week after a stab wound. Although there was a partial recapitulation of the expression pattern for laminin, fibronectin and collagen type IV in the lesioned adult NFL, it never reached the extent found in the E18 or newborn bulbs and its expression returned to normal levels prior to the re-innervation of the bulb during the second and third weeks after surgery. The results suggest that the molecular requirements for the successful growth of olfactory axons may differ during development to growth in adult animals.

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MR imaging of olfactory bulbs and tracts.

Olfactory bulbs are easily detected on coronal T1-weighted MR images. They are situated almost symmetrically opposite either side of the lower end of the olfactory sulci, and, on sagittal images, they are observed as thin soft-tissue bands immediately beneath the frontal lobe base. On axial images they are shown as oval, paramedian structures of intermediate intensity. Visualization of the olfactory tract, however, is not always possible. Our study reveals that, on axial images, detection of the olfactory bulb depends on technical factors; we recommend a 256 x 256 matrix, a 3-mm-thick slice, and less than a 0.6-mm gap. Despite the lack of complete visualization of olfactory bulbs and tracts, MR may be effective in demonstrating diseases of these entities.

Humans↗

Odorant receptors instruct functional circuitry in the mouse olfactory bulb.

The mammalian olfactory system detects and discriminates thousands of odorants using many different receptors expressed by sensory neurons in the nasal epithelium. Axonal projections from these neurons to the main olfactory bulbs form reproducible patterns of glomeruli in two widely separated regions of each bulb, creating two mirror-symmetric maps of odorant receptor projections. To investigate whether odorant receptors organize neural circuitry in the olfactory bulb, we have examined a genetically modified mouse line, rI7 --> M71, in which a functionally characterized receptor, rI7, has been substituted into the M71 receptor locus. Here we show that despite their ectopic location the resulting glomeruli are responsive to known ligands of the rI7 receptor, attract postsynaptic innervation by mitral/tufted cell dendrites, and endow these cells with responses that are characteristic of the rI7 receptor. External tufted cells receiving input from rI7 --> M71 glomeruli form precise intrabulbar projections that link medial and lateral rI7 --> M71 glomeruli anatomically, thus providing a substrate for coordinating isofunctional glomeruli. We conclude that odorant receptor identity in epithelial neurons determines not only glomerular convergence and function, but also functional circuitry in the olfactory bulb.

Animals↗

Glomerular synaptic responses to olfactory nerve input in rat olfactory bulb slices.

In olfactory bulb slices from young rats, the field potential evoked in the glomerular layer by stimulation in the olfactory nerve layer consisted of two negative components: an early component (N1) which was blocked by bath application of the kainate/amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX, 10 microM), and a late, prolonged component (N2; duration > or = 350 msec) which was unaffected by CNQX, was enhanced by reduction of Mg2+ in the medium, and was blocked by the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (50 microM). A comparison of the glomerular field potentials before and after knife cuts that isolated the glomerular layer from the deeper layers of the olfactory bulb indicated that both N1 and N2 were produced by currents generated, for the most part, within the glomeruli. A laminar analysis of the field potential profiles evoked by olfactory nerve stimulation in standard medium, or in the presence of CNQX, showed that N1 and N2 reversed polarity in the external plexiform and mitral cell layers, suggesting that both components reflected synaptic responses in the distal, apical dendrites of mitral/tufted cells. Simultaneous field potential recordings in the glomerular layer and intracellular recordings in the mitral cell layer showed that: (i) N1 is associated with a brief, short-latency spiking activity of mitral cells, and (ii) N2 is associated with prolonged mitral cell spiking, since N2 and the late cell firing had similar time-courses, and both were blocked by bath applied DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate. Application of the GABA(A) receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide (10 microM) to standard medium selectively enhanced N2. The enhanced N2 was significantly reduced by DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate. Strychnine, an antagonist of glycine receptors, had similar effects to those of bicuculline, but only at high concentrations that have been previously shown to block GABA(A) receptors; at low concentrations strychnine had no effect. The effects of all drugs tested were reversible. In the rat olfactory bulb, activation of the olfactory nerve evokes a kainate/AMPA receptor-mediated response in the distal, apical dendrites of mitral/tufted cells, followed by a slow N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated response which triggers prolonged discharge of mitral cells. GABA(A) receptor-mediated inhibition appears to suppress, preferentially, this N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated component. The presence of prolonged N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated postsynaptic activity at the primary synapses of the olfactory system may play a key role in olfactory processing by facilitating synaptic integration and plasticity.

Animals↗

The organization of projections from the olfactory bulb to the piriform cortex and olfactory tubercle in the rat.

The organization of the projection of olfactory bulb output cells was studied in the rat by injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the piriform cortex or olfactory tubercle. We made single HRP injections into small cuts in the fiber layer of the projection areas in order to enhance uptake by axons and to confine the region of HRP uptake. Following most of these injections, HRP-labeled axons could be traced in discrete fascicles through the fiber layer of the cortex or tubercle. These observations indicate that axons innervating the piriform cortex do not emit many long collaterals after they leave the lateral olfactory tract. HRP-labeled cells were generally observed throughout the ipsilateral olfactory bulb, but there were regions of greater density of labeled cells that differed in the various brains. The differences among the distributions of labeled mitral and tufted cells were analyzed statistically in 39 brains to test whether they varied systematically with injection site. In these analyses, the olfactory bulb was divided into 30 standard regions, and the labeled cells in each regions were counted. The distributions of labeled cells were similar for brains where injections were made into similar regions of the piriform cortex. The variations in density of labeled cells of the dorsal and anterior regions of the olfactory bulb were most strongly correlated with the positions of cortical injections. In contrast, the posterior medial regions of the bulb were heavily labeled after almost all injections. The ventral portions of the olfactory bulb were most heavily labeled after injections into the olfactory tubercle.

Animals↗

Olfactory bulb increases marker protein in olfactory receptor cells.

Olfactory mucosa was excised from the heads of embryonic day 15 (E15) rat fetuses, prior to the appearance of olfactory marker protein (OMP), and cultured with or without the presumptive olfactory bulb. Specific immunohistochemical staining for the OMP was detected in both groups of explants 6 days after explantation. At no time do the supporting cells and basal cells show positive OMP staining. Results of radioimmunoassay on the two groups of cultures showed that about twice as much OMP was present in organ cultures grown with presumptive olfactory bulb. Estimates of the area of olfactory mucosa in the explants revealed no significant differences between those cultured with or without the bulb. Cell counts revealed that the increased amount of OMP in explants with the bulb was due to a higher number of OMP-positive receptor neurons. Explants of olfactory mucosa cultured with other tissues (cerebrum, cerebellum, cervical spinal cord, and heart) contained approximately the same amount of OMP as explants of mucosa alone; i.e., these other tissues did not enhance OMP levels. Similarly, there was no enhancement of OMP level when the olfactory mucosa was separated from the bulb by a Millipore filter of 0.45 micron pore size. Thus the results of the study indicate that the presumptive olfactory bulb specifically increases OMP level by a mechanism that requires direct contact between the receptor cells and bulb.

Animals↗