Neuroanatomical pathways of the mouse olfactory tubercle and odor-induced adaptive behaviors

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18377
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Nerve anatomy/Neuropathology
• Research Institution: University of Fukui
• Principal Investigator: Murata Koshi 福井大学, 学術研究院医学系部門, 助教 (10631913)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 神経科学 / 神経解剖学 / 嗅覚 / 嗅結節 / 嗅皮質 / 意欲 / 情動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Animals adaptively acquire motivated behavioral responses to odors according to their past experiences. I previously showed that learned odor-induced motivated behavior accompanies activation of the olfactory tubercle, a part of the olfactory cortex and ventral striatum, in a domain- and cell-type-specific manner. In this study, I performed retrograde tracing from the anteromedial and lateral domains of the olfactory tubercle to reveal the connectivity from the olfactory bulb and address whether the axonal projection from the olfactory bulb to the olfactory tubercle is topographic. In addition, optogenetic manipulation revealed that the domains of the olfactory tubercle play different roles in inducing attractive or aversive behaviors.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

嗅覚は意欲行動を促しやすい感覚であるが、嗅覚中枢での匂い情報の処理の仕組みはよくわかっておらず、脳が匂いに対して意欲を形成する神経メカニズムは十分には解明されていない。嗅結節はその接続様式から、大脳で処理された匂いの感覚情報を間脳・中脳へと伝達して行動出力をうながす領域だと予想された。本研究の成果により、嗅結節ドメイン構造から匂いで誘引行動や警戒行動が引き起こされる神経メカニズムの理解が進んだ。