Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; email:
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2020 Jul 8;43:277-295. doi: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-102119-103452.
Olfaction is fundamentally distinct from other sensory modalities. Natural odor stimuli are complex mixtures of volatile chemicals that interact in the nose with a receptor array that, in rodents, is built from more than 1,000 unique receptors. These interactions dictate a peripheral olfactory code, which in the brain is transformed and reformatted as it is broadcast across a set of highly interconnected olfactory regions. Here we discuss the problems of characterizing peripheral population codes for olfactory stimuli, of inferring the specific functions of different higher olfactory areas given their extensive recurrence, and of ultimately understanding how odor representations are linked to perception and action. We argue that, despite the differences between olfaction and other sensory modalities, addressing these specific questions will reveal general principles underlying brain function.
嗅觉从根本上不同于其他感觉模式。天然气味刺激物是挥发性化学物质的复杂混合物，在鼻子中与受体阵列相互作用，而在啮齿动物中，受体阵列由超过 1000 个独特的受体构成。这些相互作用决定了外围嗅觉代码，该代码在大脑中传播时会被转换和重新格式化，因为它跨越一组高度相互连接的嗅觉区域。在这里，我们讨论了描述嗅觉刺激的外围群体代码的问题，讨论了鉴于不同的高级嗅觉区域的广泛重复，推断不同的高级嗅觉区域的特定功能的问题，以及最终理解气味表示如何与感知和行为相关联的问题。我们认为，尽管嗅觉和其他感觉模式之间存在差异，但解决这些具体问题将揭示大脑功能的一般原则。
