Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece; Neuroinformatik, Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN), Berlin, Germany; KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Computer Science and Communication, Stockholm, Sweden.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2013 Sep;37(8):1667-79. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.009. Epub 2013 Jun 25.
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 characterization of receptive fields and of perception.
感觉处理的主要问题是难以将感觉输入与生理反应和感知联系起来。在处理的较高层次上，这种情况尤其成问题，因为复杂的线索会引起高度特定的反应。在嗅觉中，这种关系尤其因刺激特征和感知的难以描述而变得复杂。嗅觉中的核心问题是所谓的刺激问题，它指的是对刺激的理解，以及结构-活性和结构-气味关系，它们指的是嗅觉的分子基础。人们普遍认为，受体对气味剂的识别受物理化学性质的检测支配，并且物理空间非常复杂。毫不奇怪，关于如何对气味刺激进行分类以及大脑从气味中提取的信息的本质，人们的观点存在分歧。尽管有许多用于嗅觉的测量方法，但没有一种方法能够准确描述其所有方面。在这里，我们总结了对嗅觉理解的最新进展。我们认为，强调信息处理的嗅觉功能方法可以极大地帮助我们理解嗅觉作为一种从神经计算中出现的感知现象。此外，我们认为，对刺激、生物学、生理学、行为和感知的综合分析可以为嗅觉功能提供新的见解。我们希望读者可以将这篇综述用作嗅觉生理学、心理物理学、计算和心理学研究活动的权威指南和概述。我们提出了研究途径，特别是在接受域和感知的系统特征化方面。
