The Olfactory System - From Odor Molecules to Motivational Behaviors

This book summarizes recent advances in understanding of the mammalian and fish olfactory system and provides perspective on the translation of external odor information into appropriate motivational and behavioral responses. Following the discovery of the odorant receptor gene family in 1991, understanding of the basic biological mechanisms of the olfactory system has advanced enormously. Despite such rapid progress, however, it remains unclear how odor information is processed at levels beyond the olfactory bulb, including the olfactory cortex, olfactory tubercle, and orbitofrontal cortex. This book thus describes the most recent developments in olfactory research, with particular focus on the basic neurobiological mechanisms of the neuronal circuit function in the olfactory system and its related higher centers. Exploring the basic functional logic of the neuronal circuits in the olfactory system in this way appears to be crucial in understanding the workings of the complex neuronal circuits of the brain, particularly those in the cerebral cortex that link sensory perception to appropriate behavioral responses. This book is written for the coming generation of scientists: undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in the fields of neuroscience, neurobiology, chemical senses, food and nutritional sciences, medical science, sensory psychology, and behavioral sciences.

List of contents

1 Introduction: Unique characteristics of olfactory neuronal circuits in the brain
Kensaku Mori (Univ. of Tokyo)
2 Odor and pheromone molecules, receptors and behavioral responses
Kazushige Touhara (Univ. of Tokyo)
3 Axon wiring and circuit formation in the olfactory system
Hitoshi Sakano (Univ. of Tokyo)
4 Odor maps in the olfactory bulb
Kensaku Mori (Univ. of Tokyo)
5 Olfactory pathways in Zebrafish
Yoshihiro Yoshihara (BSI, RIKEN)
6 Adult neurogenesis and local circuits in the olfactory bulb
Masahiro Yamaguchi (Univ. of Tokyo)
7 Parallel mitral and tufted cell streams to the olfactory cortex
Shin Nagayama (Univ. of Texas), Kei Igarashi (Kavli Inst.), and Kensaku Mori(Univ. of Tokyo)
8 Olfactory cortex, olfactory tubercle and orbitofrontal cortex
Kensaku Mori (Univ. of Tokyo)
9 Human olfactory system
Noam Sobel (Weizmann Inst.)

About the author

Kensaku Mori
Department of Physiology
The University of Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan

Summary

This book summarizes recent advances in understanding of the mammalian and fish olfactory system and provides perspective on the translation of external odor information into appropriate motivational and behavioral responses. Following the discovery of the odorant receptor gene family in 1991, understanding of the basic biological mechanisms of the olfactory system has advanced enormously. Despite such rapid progress, however, it remains unclear how odor information is processed at levels beyond the olfactory bulb, including the olfactory cortex, olfactory tubercle, and orbitofrontal cortex. This book thus describes the most recent developments in olfactory research, with particular focus on the basic neurobiological mechanisms of the neuronal circuit function in the olfactory system and its related higher centers. Exploring the basic functional logic of the neuronal circuits in the olfactory system in this way appears to be crucial in understanding the workings of the complex neuronal circuits of the brain, particularly those in the cerebral cortex that link sensory perception to appropriate behavioral responses. This book is written for the coming generation of scientists: undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in the fields of neuroscience, neurobiology, chemical senses, food and nutritional sciences, medical science, sensory psychology, and behavioral sciences.

Additional text

From the reviews:
“This is an excellent up-to-date reference and text about the cortical connectivity and physiology of the olfactory system in experimental animals. The piriform, and olfactory cortices with limbic and midbrain connections are beautifully illustrated with color line drawings and explanatory discussions. … I recommend this book to any research interested in olfactory neurophysiology.” (Joseph J. Grenier, Amazon.com, June, 2014)

Report

From the reviews:
"This is an excellent up-to-date reference and text about the cortical connectivity and physiology of the olfactory system in experimental animals. The piriform, and olfactory cortices with limbic and midbrain connections are beautifully illustrated with color line drawings and explanatory discussions. ... I recommend this book to any research interested in olfactory neurophysiology." (Joseph J. Grenier, Amazon.com, June, 2014)

Product details

• Assisted by: Kensak Mori (Editor), Kensaku Mori (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.09.2014
• EAN: 9784431543756
• ISBN: 978-4-431-54375-6
• No. of pages: 206
• Dimensions: 161 mm x 11 mm x 241 mm
• Weight: 502 g
• Illustrations: VII, 206 p. 69 illus., 46 illus. in color.
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Non-clinical medicine