The goal of this research program is to understand the role of early experience in changing the subsequent responses of the mammalian brain to environmental stimuli. The research is focused on our finding that early experience by Norway rat young with a particular odor not only induces a behavioral prefernce for that odor, but induces an enhanced response in the olfactory system of the young to that same odor. The pups normally develop an attraction to the odor of their mother during early life, allowing the young to maintain contact with their parent during a time in their lives when they are mobile enough to leave the maternal nest. The enhanced olfactory bulb response has been observed with the use of a technique that allows a comparison of the differential uptake of 14C 2-deoxyglucose, a glucose analogue that remains in the neurons in an incompletely metabolized state. This measure reflects what is most probably differential neural activity. We will first define the conditions under which the potentiated response occurs and then examine several possibilities for the structural changes underlying this phenomenon.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS021484-03
Application #
3402631
Study Section
Communication Sciences and Disorders (CMS)
Project Start
1984-12-01
Project End
1988-02-29
Budget Start
1986-12-01
Budget End
1988-02-29
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
161202122
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697
Sullivan, R M; Wilson, D A; Leon, M (1989) Norepinephrine and learning-induced plasticity in infant rat olfactory system. J Neurosci 9:3998-4006
Gomez-Pinilla, F; Guthrie, K M; Leon, M et al. (1989) NGF receptor increase in the olfactory bulb of the rat after early odor deprivation. Brain Res Dev Brain Res 48:161-5
Guthrie, K M; Leon, M (1989) Induction of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in rat forebrain neurons. Brain Res 497:117-31
Lincoln, J; Coopersmith, R; Harris, E W et al. (1988) NMDA receptor activation and early olfactory learning. Brain Res 467:309-12
Do, J T; Sullivan, R M; Leon, M (1988) Behavioral and neural correlates of postnatal olfactory conditioning: II. Respiration during conditioning. Dev Psychobiol 21:591-600
Sullivan, R M; Wilson, D A; Leon, M (1988) Physical stimulation reduces the brain temperature of infant rats. Dev Psychobiol 21:237-50
Sullivan, R M; Wilson, D A; Kim, M H et al. (1988) Behavioral and neural correlates of postnatal olfactory conditioning: I. Effect of respiration on conditioned neural responses. Physiol Behav 44:85-90
Coopersmith, R; Leon, M (1987) Glycogen phosphorylase activity in the olfactory bulb of the young rat. J Comp Neurol 261:148-54
Sullivan, R M; Leon, M (1987) One-trial olfactory learning enhances olfactory bulb responses to an appetitive conditioned odor in 7-day-old rats. Brain Res 432:307-11
Woo, C C; Coopersmith, R; Leon, M (1987) Localized changes in olfactory bulb morphology associated with early olfactory learning. J Comp Neurol 263:113-25

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