Article abstract
Nature Neuroscience 12, 210 - 220 (2009)
Published online: 18 January 2009 | doi:10.1038/nn.2262
Precision and diversity in an odor map on the olfactory bulb
Edward R Soucy1,2, Dinu F Albeanu1,2, Antoniu L Fantana1, Venkatesh N Murthy1 & Markus Meister1
Abstract
We explored the map of odor space created by glomeruli on the olfactory bulb of both rat and mouse. Identified glomeruli could be matched across animals by their response profile to hundreds of odors. Their layout in different individuals varied by only 
1 glomerular spacing, corresponding to a precision of 1 part in 1,000. Across species, mouse and rat share many glomeruli with apparently identical odor tuning, arranged in a similar layout. In mapping the position of a glomerulus to its odor tuning, we found only a coarse relationship with a precision of 5 spacings. No chemotopic order was apparent on a finer scale and nearby glomeruli were almost as diverse in their odor sensitivity as distant ones. This local diversity of sensory tuning stands in marked distinction from other brain maps. Given the reliable placement of the glomeruli, it represents a feature, not a flaw, of the olfactory bulb.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Markus Meister1 e-mail: meister@fas.harvard.edu
Correspondence to: Venkatesh N Murthy1 e-mail: vnmurthy@fas.harvard.edu
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