Experimental and theoretical probe on mechano- and chemosensory integration in the insect antennal lobe.

ABSTRACT: In nature, olfactory signals are delivered to detectors-for example, insect antennae-by means of turbulent air, which exerts concurrent chemical and mechanical stimulation on the detectors. The antennal lobe, which is traditionally viewed as a chemosensory module, sits downstream of antennal inputs. We review experimental evidence showing that, in addition to being a chemosensory structure, antennal lobe neurons also respond to mechanosensory input in the form of wind speed. Benchmarked with empirical data, we constructed a dynamical model to simulate bimodal integration in the antennal lobe, with model dynamics yielding insights such as a positive correlation between the strength of mechanical input and the capacity to follow high frequency odor pulses, an important task in tracking odor

SUBMITTER: Patel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9667105 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature