Spike timing improves olfactory capabilities in mammals.
An issue that has puzzled neuroscientists for decades is what role, if any, temporal patterning of action potentials has in determining behavior. A study in this issue of Neuron by Cury and Uchida in the rat olfactory system provides evidence that such patterns could help mammals to identify and discriminate odors.
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 80045 USA. marius.peelen@unitn.it
Nathan E
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Schoppa