Abstract
1. To determine whether microvillous olfactory receptor cells mediate responses to pheromonal cues, the olfactory nerves of mature male goldfish were axotomized and both the olfactory and behavioral sensitivity of these animals to olfactory stimuli investigated after which the histological condition of their olfactory epithelia was determined. 2. Behavioral responsiveness to food odor returned within 2 weeks but responsiveness to sexually-active females (pheromones) took 4–10 weeks to return. 3. Electro-olfactogram recordings from the olfactory epithelium of axotomized fish found that olfactory responsiveness to amino acids and pheromones changed little during the first week subsequent to axotomy. However, olfactory sensitivity decreased rapidly during the second week. During the course of the third week, electro-olfactogram sensitivity to amino acids remained while exposure to pheromones evoked no recordable electro-olfactogram. During week 4, sensitivity to amino acids increased further, and weak sensitivity to some pheromones became evident. Further recovery of electro-olfactogram sensitivity to all odorants was slow and erratic over the next 6 months, particularly to the pheromones. 4. Histological examination of the olfactory epithelia of axotomized fish demonstrated that while ciliated receptor cells were present within 2 weeks, microvillous receptor cells took approximately 4 weeks to regenerate. 5. Together these data suggest that microvillous receptor cells mediate responsiveness to pheromones in this species.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Accepted: 22 August 1996
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zippel, H., Sorensen, P. & Hansen, A. High correlation between microvillous olfactory receptor cell abundance and sensitivity to pheromones in olfactory nerve-sectioned goldfish. J Comp Physiol A 180, 39–52 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003590050025
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003590050025