Receptors, Circuits, and Behaviors: New Directions in Chemical Senses
- Donald B. Katz1,*,
- Hiroaki Matsunami2,*,
- Dmitry Rinberg3,*,
- Kristin Scott4,*,
- Matt Wachowiak5,*, and
- Rachel I. Wilson6
- 1Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454,
- 2Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710,
- 3Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia 20147,
- 4Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720,
- 5Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, and
- 6Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Correspondence should be addressed to Rachel I. Wilson, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. rachel_wilson{at}hms.harvard.edu
-
↵*D.B.K., H.M., D.R., K.S., and M.W. contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
The chemical senses, smell and taste, are the most poorly understood sensory modalities. In recent years, however, the field of chemosensation has benefited from new methods and technical innovations that have accelerated the rate of scientific progress. For example, enormous advances have been made in identifying olfactory and gustatory receptor genes and mapping their expression patterns. Genetic tools now permit us to monitor and control neural activity in vivo with unprecedented precision. New imaging techniques allow us to watch neural activity patterns unfold in real time. Finally, improved hardware and software enable multineuron electrophysiological recordings on an expanded scale. These innovations have enabled some fresh approaches to classic problems in chemosensation.
- Copyright © 2008 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/08/2811802-04$15.00/0
