RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Neuronal response latencies encode first odor identity information across subjects
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 0453-18
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0453-18.2018
A1 Paoli, Marco
A1 Albi, Angela
A1 Zanon, Mirko
A1 Zanini, Damiano
A1 Antolini, Renzo
A1 Haase, Albrecht
YR 2018
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2018/09/10/JNEUROSCI.0453-18.2018.abstract
AB Odorants are coded in the primary olfactory processing centers by spatially and temporally distributed patterns of glomerular activity. While the spatial distribution of odorant-induced responses is known to be conserved across individuals, the universality of its temporal structure is still debated. Via fast two-photon calcium imaging, we analyzed the early phase of neuronal responses in form of the activity onset latencies in the antennal lobe projection neurons of honeybee foragers. We show that each odorant evokes a stimulus-specific response latency pattern across the glomerular coding space. Moreover, we investigate these early response features for the first time across animals, revealing that the order of glomerular firing onsets is conserved across individuals and allows to reliably predict odorant identity, but not concentration. These results suggest that the neuronal response latencies provide the first available code for fast odor identification.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHere, we studied early temporal coding in the primary olfactory processing centers of the honeybee brain by fast imaging of glomerular responses to different odorants across glomeruli and across individuals. Regarding the elusive role of rapid response dynamics in olfactory coding, we were able to clarify the following aspects: (i) the rank of glomerular activation is conserved across individuals, (ii) its stimulus prediction accuracy is equal to that of the response amplitude code, and (iii) contains complementary information. Our findings suggest a substantial role of response latencies in odor identification, anticipating the static response amplitude code.