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Neural map formation and sensory coding in the vomeronasal system

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Abstract

Sensory systems enable us to encode a clear representation of our environment in the nervous system by spatially organizing sensory stimuli being received. The organization of neural circuitry to form a map of sensory activation is critical for the interpretation of these sensory stimuli. In rodents, social communication relies strongly on the detection of chemosignals by the vomeronasal system, which regulates a wide array of behaviours, including mate recognition, reproduction, and aggression. The binding of these chemosignals to receptors on vomeronasal sensory neurons leads to activation of second-order neurons within glomeruli of the accessory olfactory bulb. Here, vomeronasal receptor activation by a stimulus is organized into maps of glomerular activation that represent phenotypic qualities of the stimuli detected. Genetic, electrophysiological and imaging studies have shed light on the principles underlying cell connectivity and sensory map formation in the vomeronasal system, and have revealed important differences in sensory coding between the vomeronasal and main olfactory system. In this review, we summarize the key factors and mechanisms that dictate circuit formation and sensory coding logic in the vomeronasal system, emphasizing differences with the main olfactory system. Furthermore, we discuss how detection of chemosignals by the vomeronasal system regulates social behaviour in mice, specifically aggression.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Reesha Raja for comments on the manuscript. A.C.B. is a recipient of a Master’s studentship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. J.F.C. held a Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neurobiology and is a Chercheur Boursier Sénior of the Fonds de Recherche du Québec—Santé. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada support the research performed in the Cloutier Lab.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Room MP105, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada

    Alexandra C. Brignall & Jean-François Cloutier

  2. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Jean-François Cloutier

  3. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Alexandra C. Brignall & Jean-François Cloutier

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  1. Alexandra C. Brignall
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  2. Jean-François Cloutier
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Correspondence to Jean-François Cloutier.

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Brignall, A.C., Cloutier, JF. Neural map formation and sensory coding in the vomeronasal system. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 72, 4697–4709 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-015-2029-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-015-2029-5

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