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Neural Coding in Olfactory Receptor Cells

  • Chapter
Olfaction

Part of the book series: Handbook of Sensory Physiology ((1730,volume 4 / 1))

Abstract

One goal which the electrophysiologist pursues is to discover the relation between inputs to a particular cell or section of the nervous system and the changes in temporal patterns of electrical neural activity which result from those inputs. Each pair of events which an animal can distinguish as being different must certainly be represented by a different pair of patterns of nerve cell activity. This must hold for the receptor cells (in the case of the vertebrate olfactory organ neurons) and for all units higher in the nervous hierarchy. Efferent connections from other parts of the nervous system to the olfactory receptor neurons are absent, hence we expect that changes in activity patterns of these neurons will depend only upon changes in smells presented to the animal, assuming a stable internal milieu. This assumption may not hold in fact since odorous stimulation may modify receptor function through sympathetic control of air flow through the nose and through circulating endocrine substances. If our goal were to be achieved completely we should be able to look at the activity of primary neurons and identify the stimulus or stimuli. That is what we mean when we say we understand the neural code.

Supported in part by U.S. N.I.H. Grant No. 1-RO1-NBO6063-02, U.S. Air Force Contract Nr. F33615–67-C1497, and U.S. Army Grant No. DA-ARO-D-31–124-G991.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Robert C. Gesteland

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  1. Robert C. Gesteland
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Lloyd M. Beidler

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© 1971 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg

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Gesteland, R.C. (1971). Neural Coding in Olfactory Receptor Cells. In: Beidler, L.M. (eds) Olfaction. Handbook of Sensory Physiology, vol 4 / 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65126-7_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65126-7_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-65128-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-65126-7

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