Functional role of receptor neurons in encoding olfactory information.
In the present review we have considered the properties of the olfactory receptor neurons and discuss the strategy these cells use to perform their signaling task. Special emphasis is laid on the mechanisms for setting the membrane potential at rest and the mechanisms that the cell can use to respond with action potentials to significant stimuli only. We demonstrate that the firing properties of the receptor neurons depend upon the initial level of the membrane potential. We present the idea that the olfactory glomerulus can function as a unit in olfactory processing. In this perspective the olfactory receptor neuron is a subunit of the olfactory glomerulus.
Trotier
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Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Sensorielle, EPHE, Massy, France.
Døving
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D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*