Plasticity in Odor Coding by Olfactory Receptor Neurons

	Associate Provost for Research Boston University Medical Campus
NIDCD - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders	Research Resources

Abstract

Grant Number:	5F32DC007258-03
PI Name:	MCGANN, JOHN P.
PI Email:	mcgann@bu.edu
PI Title:
Project Title:	Plasticity in Odor Coding by Olfactory Receptor Neurons

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Experiments using early sensory deprivation to alter the development of the visual and auditory systems have produced seminal work in those fields. Olfactory deprivation in the neonatal rodent has been shown to evoke dramatic anatomical and neurochemical changes in the olfactory system during development, but little is known about the corresponding functional changes during deprivation and recovery. Dr. Wachowiak and collaborators have demonstrated a transgenic mouse model in which the synaptic terminals of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) fluoresce when they release transmitter, permitting the in vivo imaging of ORN synaptic output in the olfactory bulb during odorant presentation. The use of these mice, therefore, provides novel opportunities to investigate the effects of sensory deprivation on the functional development of the olfactory system. The work proposed here will use these mice to study the effects of olfactory deprivation during development on synaptic transmitter release from ORNs and its presynaptic modulation by olfactory bulb circuitry, as well as the recovery from deprivation following the reopening of the naris. This research will provide new insights into the activity-dependent development and regulation of the olfactory system.

Thesaurus Terms:
chemoreceptor, neural plasticity, odor, olfaction, olfactory nerve
developmental neurobiology, dopamine, gamma aminobutyrate, interneuron, neurotransmitter transport, olfactory lobe, sensory deprivation, stimulus /response, synapse
bioimaging /biomedical imaging, laboratory mouse, postdoctoral investigator

Institution: BOSTON UNIVERSITY

881 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE

BOSTON, MA 02215

Fiscal Year: 2006

Department: BIOLOGY

Project Start: 01-SEP-2004

Project End: 31-AUG-2007

ICD: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

IRG: CDRC

Boston, Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:37:10 EST

Institution:	BOSTON UNIVERSITY
	881 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE
	BOSTON, MA 02215
Fiscal Year:	2006
Department:	BIOLOGY
Project Start:	01-SEP-2004
Project End:	31-AUG-2007
ICD:	NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
IRG:	CDRC