Segregation of odor identity and intensity during odor discrimination in Drosophila mushroom body.

ABSTRACT: Molecular and cellular studies have begun to unravel a neurobiological basis of olfactory processing, which appears conserved among vertebrate and invertebrate species. Studies have shown clearly that experience-dependent coding of odor identity occurs in "associative" olfactory centers (the piriform cortex in mammals and the mushroom body [MB] in insects). What remains unclear, however, is whether associative centers also mediate innate (spontaneous) odor discrimination and how ongoing experience modifies odor discrimination. Here we show in naïve flies that Galphaq-mediated signaling in MB modulates spontaneous discrimination of odor identity but not odor intensity (concentration). In contrast, experience-dependent modification (conditioning) of both odor identity and intensity occurs in

SUBMITTER: Xia S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1994992 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature