The long-term objective of this project is to discover basic principles governing the detection and discrimination of odorant mixtures and their components. The focus of this research will be on responses to binary odorant mixtures, which will serve as a model for more complex mixtures. A common observation in studies of mixtures of odorants or tastants is that responses to mixtures are often not predictable, even when the responses to the individual components of the mixture are known. These phenomena, termed mixture interactions, are widespread, occurring in humans as well as lower animals. The proposed project uses as the experimental animal model the spiny lobster Panulirus argus, which has proven to be an excellent system for studies of olfaction, including mixture interactions and behavioral and neural aspects of quality coding.
The specific aims of this project are to: (1) identify and characterize olfactory mixture interactions for binary odorant mixtures; (2) the effects of mixture interactions on behavioral and neural discrimination of the quality of binary odorant mixtures. Mixture interactions will be identified and characterized by applying behavioral and neural responses to binary mixtures and their components to mathematical models of ligand-receptor binding. Mechanisms of mixture interactions will be identified through biochemical studies of binding of odorants to receptor sites on olfactory cell dendrites. The effect of mixture interactions on discrimination of quality of binary odorant mixtures and their components will be described by evaluating quality discrimination for binary mixtures containing components that do or do not show mixture interaction, using previously developed techniques: for neural discrimination, multivariate analysis of single-unit neurophysiological data from olfactory receptor cells and olfactory brain interneurons; for behavioral discrimination, multivariate analysis of results of differential aversive conditioning.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Modified Research Career Development Award (K04)
Project #
5K04DC000002-03
Application #
3072028
Study Section
Sensory Disorders and Language Study Section (CMS)
Project Start
1990-06-01
Project End
1995-05-31
Budget Start
1992-06-01
Budget End
1993-05-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Georgia State University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
837322494
City
Atlanta
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30302
Wood, D E; Nishikawa, M; Derby, C D (1996) Proctolinlike immunoreactivity and identified neurosecretory cells as putative substrates for modulation of courtship display behavior in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. J Comp Neurol 368:153-63
Sung, D Y; Walthall, W W; Derby, C D (1996) Identification and partial characterization of putative taurine receptor proteins from the olfactory organ of the spiny lobster. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 115:19-26
Wood, D E; Derby, C D (1996) Distribution of dopamine-like immunoreactivity suggests a role for dopamine in the courtship display behavior of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Cell Tissue Res 285:321-30
Derby, C D; Hutson, M; Livermore, B A et al. (1996) Generalization among related complex odorant mixtures and their components: analysis of olfactory perception in the spiny lobster. Physiol Behav 60:87-95
Daniel, P C; Burgess, M F; Derby, C D (1996) Responses of olfactory receptor neurons in the spiny lobster to binary mixtures are predictable using a noncompetitive model that incorporates excitatory and inhibitory transduction pathways. J Comp Physiol A 178:523-36
Olson, K S; Derby, C D (1995) Inhibition of taurine and 5'AMP olfactory receptor sites of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus by odorant compounds and mixtures. J Comp Physiol A 176:527-40
Wood, D E; Gleeson, R A; Derby, C D (1995) Modulation of behavior by biogenic amines and peptides in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. J Comp Physiol A 177:321-33
Wood, D E; Derby, C D (1995) Coordination and neuromuscular control of rhythmic behaviors in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. J Comp Physiol A 177:307-19
Simon, T W; Derby, C D (1995) Mixture suppression without inhibition for binary mixtures from whole cell patch clamp studies of in situ olfactory receptor neurons of the spiny lobster. Brain Res 678:213-24
Wood, D E (1995) Neuromodulation of rhythmic motor patterns in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus by amines and the peptide proctolin. J Comp Physiol A 177:335-49

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