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Olfactory Coding

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Abstract

OLFACTORY signals must be coded both externally and internally. Externally, the odorous molecules present distinctive patterns based on their ability to excite several more or less widely separated intervals in a linear continuum of osmic stimuli1,2. In other words, each odorous molecule carries a characteristic combination of primary stimuli. Internally, the characteristic pattern of the stimulus molecules must be transformed into a patterned neural discharge which somehow reflects the specificity of the input signal from the odorous molecules. To solve the olfactory code, we must find a correlation between physically observable properties of the external stimulus and the internal response.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Columbia Research Council, Vancouver

    R. H. WRIGHT

  2. The Medical School, Northwestern University, Chicago

    J. R. HUGHES & D. E. HENDRIX

Authors
  1. R. H. WRIGHT
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  2. J. R. HUGHES
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  3. D. E. HENDRIX
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WRIGHT, R., HUGHES, J. & HENDRIX, D. Olfactory Coding. Nature 216, 404–406 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/216404a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/216404a0

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