Johnston R E, Mueller U G
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Physiol Behav. 1990 Nov;48(5):701-6. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(90)90214-o.
Although olfactory and vomeronasal projections to the olfactory bulb and to the rest of the brain are quite distinct, it is not clear how the functions of these two chemosensory systems differ. In these experiments we attempted to determine the roles of the main olfactory and vomeronasal sensory systems in mediating scent marking by male golden hamsters, a behavior known to be stimulated by odors of other hamsters. Lesions of the main olfactory mucosa by irrigation of the nasal cavity with a solution of zinc sulfate dramatically reduced the frequency of marking. The degree of reduction in marking was correlated with an independent test of ability to detect volatile odorants. In contrast, surgical removal of the vomeronasal organ had no effect on marking frequency. Thus scent marking by male hamsters is primarily mediated by the main olfactory system and does not require the presence of the vomeronasal system. These results are discussed in the context of a theory that stresses the importance of the main olfactory system in pattern recognition and, in particular, in many types of social recognition.
尽管嗅觉系统和犁鼻器向嗅球及大脑其他部分的投射截然不同，但尚不清楚这两个化学感应系统的功能有何差异。在这些实验中，我们试图确定主要嗅觉系统和犁鼻器感觉系统在雄性金黄地鼠进行气味标记行为中所起的作用，这种行为已知会受到其他仓鼠气味的刺激。用硫酸锌溶液冲洗鼻腔对主要嗅觉黏膜造成损伤后，标记频率大幅降低。标记频率的降低程度与检测挥发性气味物质能力的独立测试结果相关。相比之下，手术切除犁鼻器对标记频率没有影响。因此，雄性仓鼠的气味标记主要由主要嗅觉系统介导，并不需要犁鼻器系统的存在。我们将在强调主要嗅觉系统在模式识别，特别是在许多类型的社会识别中的重要性的理论背景下讨论这些结果。
