Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice
Abstract Stereo olfaction, the difference in odor concentration between the two nostrils, has been shown to affect a variety of animal behaviors, including olfactory search. However, it is unknown whether stereo olfaction can enable the formation of allocentric spatial representations. Here, recordi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58847-7 |
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| author | Kadjita Asumbisa Adrien Peyrache Stuart Trenholm |
| author_facet | Kadjita Asumbisa Adrien Peyrache Stuart Trenholm |
| author_sort | Kadjita Asumbisa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Stereo olfaction, the difference in odor concentration between the two nostrils, has been shown to affect a variety of animal behaviors, including olfactory search. However, it is unknown whether stereo olfaction can enable the formation of allocentric spatial representations. Here, recording from head direction (HD) cells in the anterior dorsal nucleus of the thalamus in blind mice—a model system for studying olfaction-dependent allocentric spatial representations—we find that inhibiting stereo olfaction, by blocking olfactory processing in one nostril or merging the airflow going to both nostrils, drastically impairs head direction coding. To assess the behavioral impact of impaired HD cell tuning caused by loss of stereo olfaction, we developed a closed-loop head direction preference assay, in which a mouse received medial forebrain bundle reward stimulation upon orientating its head in a specific direction. We find that inhibiting stereo olfaction significantly impairs performance in the HD preference assay. These results reveal that stereo olfaction is required for mice to use smell to form a stable allocentric spatial representation of head direction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2b5d20d3c0674d289d0066b00ccc8e69 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-2b5d20d3c0674d289d0066b00ccc8e692025-08-20T02:17:48ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-011611910.1038/s41467-025-58847-7Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind miceKadjita Asumbisa0Adrien Peyrache1Stuart Trenholm2Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityAbstract Stereo olfaction, the difference in odor concentration between the two nostrils, has been shown to affect a variety of animal behaviors, including olfactory search. However, it is unknown whether stereo olfaction can enable the formation of allocentric spatial representations. Here, recording from head direction (HD) cells in the anterior dorsal nucleus of the thalamus in blind mice—a model system for studying olfaction-dependent allocentric spatial representations—we find that inhibiting stereo olfaction, by blocking olfactory processing in one nostril or merging the airflow going to both nostrils, drastically impairs head direction coding. To assess the behavioral impact of impaired HD cell tuning caused by loss of stereo olfaction, we developed a closed-loop head direction preference assay, in which a mouse received medial forebrain bundle reward stimulation upon orientating its head in a specific direction. We find that inhibiting stereo olfaction significantly impairs performance in the HD preference assay. These results reveal that stereo olfaction is required for mice to use smell to form a stable allocentric spatial representation of head direction.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58847-7 |
| spellingShingle | Kadjita Asumbisa Adrien Peyrache Stuart Trenholm Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice Nature Communications |
| title | Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice |
| title_full | Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice |
| title_fullStr | Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice |
| title_short | Stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice |
| title_sort | stereo olfaction underlies stable coding of head direction in blind mice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58847-7 |
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