title: Reshaping of bulbar odor response by nasal flow rate in the rat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impact of respiratory dynamics on odor response has been poorly studied at the olfactory bulb level. However, it has been shown that sniffing in the behaving rodent is highly dynamic and varies both in frequency and flow rate. Bulbar odor response could vary with these sniffing parameter variations. Consequently, it is necessary to understand how nasal airflow can modify and shape odor response at the olfactory bulb level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To assess this question, we used a double cannulation and simulated nasal airflow protocol on anesthetized rats to uncouple nasal airflow from animal respiration. Both mitral/tufted cell extracellular unit activity and local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded. We found that airflow changes in the normal range were sufficient to substantially reorganize the response of the olfactory bulb. In particular, cellular odor-evoked activities, LFP oscillations and spike phase-locking to LFPs were strongly modified by nasal flow rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate the importance of reconsidering the notion of odor coding as odor response at the bulbar level is ceaselessly modified by respiratory dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Université Lyon 1, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5020 Neurosciences Sensorielles, Comportement, Cognition, Lyon, France. ecourtiol@olfac.univ-lyon1.fr
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Courtiol
authors.forename: Corine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amat
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thévenet
authors.forename: Belkacem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Messaoudi
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buonviso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001239:Inhalation / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D009812:Odorants; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012119:Respiration; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*