Mosaic activity patterns and their relation to perceptual similarity: open discussions on the molecular basis and circuitry of odor recognition

Abstract

Enormous advances have been made in the recent years in regard to the mechanisms and neural circuits by which odors are sensed and perceived. Part of this understanding has been gained from parallel studies in insects and rodents that show striking similarity in the mechanisms they use to sense, encode, and perceive odors. In this review, we provide a short introduction to the functioning of olfactory systems from transduction of odorant stimuli into electrical signals in sensory neurons to the anatomical and functional organization of the networks involved in neural representation of odors in the central nervous system. We make emphasis on the functional and anatomical architecture of the first synaptic relay of the olfactory circuit, the olfactory bulb in vertebrates and the antennal lobe in insects. We discuss how the exquisite and conserved architecture of this structure is established and how different odors are encoded in mosaic activity patterns. Finally, we discuss the validity of methods used to compare activation patterns in relation to perceptual similarity. In this Review we provide an introduction to the functioning of olfactory systems from transduction of stimuli into electrical signals to the organization of the networks involved in neural representation of odors. We discuss how different odors are encoded in mosaic activity patterns and the validity of methods used to compare activation patterns in relation to perceptual similarity.