Cutting-Edge 3D Imaging Reveals How the Nose Detects Odor Combinations

 


Columbia University's study in mice shows how extraordinary cells in the nose assist the mind with recognizing the world's close, endless mixes of aromas. 


We are constantly surrounded by smells throughout the day. Odors can quickly alert us to bad food or bring back memories. However, how does our brain recognize so many distinct odors? And how simple is it for us to decipher the components of a mixture of odors? Scientists from Columbia University have discovered the answer to these questions in a new study on mice that was recently published in Science.


"From trash to cologne, the fragrances we experience consistently involve hundreds or even a huge number of individual smells", said S T U A-R T F I-R E-S T E-I N, PhD, a Columbia teacher of natural sciences and the co-senior creator of the present review. Over 800 distinct odor molecules could be present in your morning cup of coffee. Scientists have struggled for a long time to explain how this system works when multiple odors are mixed together, despite the fact that a lot of work has been done to learn how the nose and brain work together to identify individual odors


They discovered that one odor can actually suppress a cell's response to another odor in a mixture, while simultaneously enhancing the response of another cell to that other odor. Modern 3D imaging was used in the study


In mice, researchers at the Zuckerman Institute investigated the inner workings of the olfactory system. They discovered that combining various scents can produce a novel experience on its own, effectively transforming each scent into an entirely new one. The hypothesis that the brain makes sense of a variety of scents by identifying each component is challenged by the findings.


W E-N Z-E Li, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Hillman lab and co-first author of the paper, stated, "S CAPE enabled us to simultaneously analyze the activity in any of the tens of thousands of single cells over long periods of time". We were only able to image a few hundred cells in a thin layer for a short time with conventional microscopes. Without harming the tissue, S CAPE enabled imaging of many more cells within the intact 3D nasal structures. We were able to monitor each cell's response over time to a wide variety of odor combinations because of this. 


The team used algorithms developed by Columbia's Department of Statistics and the Simone Foundation to process the enormous amount of data that was collected—more than 300 gigabytes per tissue sample—and had to build their own powerful data processing server.


Scent experts have known for almost two decades that some smells can cover up or even enhance others. According to Dr Hillman, who is a professor of biomedical engineering at the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, "Our results showed that scent molecules can both activate and deactivate receptors, masking other scents not by overpowering them but by changing the way cells respond to them", These findings may actually be very helpful, such as in the development of better air fresheners that actually eliminate any unpleasant odors


Researchers at Columbia University have discovered that a substance's response to a receptor can be altered by the nose. The research conducted by Dr David Hillman and Michael Firestein may provide insight into how to alter the response of other cell types that might be involved in disease

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