Olfactory system oscillations play out with beautiful temporal and behavioral regularity on the oscilloscope and seem to scream ‘meaning’. Always there is the fear that, although attractive, these symbols of dynamic regularity might be just seductive epiphenomena. There are now many studies that have isolated some of the neural mechanisms involved in these oscillations, and recent work argues that they are functional and even necessary at the physiological and cognitive levels. However, much remains to be done for a full understanding of their functions.

Sensory-motor relationships are part of the normal operation of sensory systems. Sensing occurs in the context of active sensor movement, which in turn influences sensory processing. We address such a process in the rat olfactory system. Through recordings of the diaphragm electromyogram (EMG), we monitored the motor output of the respiratory circuit involved in sniffing behavior, simultaneously with the local field potential (LFP) of the olfactory bulb (OB) in rats moving freely in a familiar environment, where they display a wide range of respiratory frequencies. We show that the OB LFP represents the sniff cycle with high reliability at every sniff frequency and can therefore be used to study the neural representation of motor drive in a sensory cortex.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis is based on reported symptoms, which carries the potential risk of over- or under-diagnosis. A biological marker that helps to objectively define the disorder, providing information about its pathophysiology, is needed. A promising marker of cognitive states in humans is pupil size, which reflects the activity of an ‘arousal’ network, related to the norepinephrine system. We monitored pupil size from ADHD and control subjects, during a visuo-spatial working memory task. A sub group of ADHD children performed the task twice, with and without methylphenidate, a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Off-medication patients showed a decreased pupil diameter during the task. This difference was no longer present when patients were on-medication. Pupil size correlated with the subjects’ performance and reaction time variability, two vastly studied indicators of attention. Furthermore, this effect was modulated by medication. Through pupil size, we provide evidence of an involvement of the noradrenergic system during an attentional task. Our results suggest that pupil size could serve as a biomarker in ADHD.

Oscillatory phenomena have been a focus of dynamical systems research since the time of the classical studies on the pendulum by Galileo. Fast cortical oscillations also have a long and storied history in neurophysiology, and olfactory oscillations have led the way with a depth of explanation not present in the literature of most other cortical systems. From the earliest studies of odor-evoked oscillations by Adrian, many reports have focused on mechanisms and functional associations of these oscillations, in particular for the so-called gamma oscillations. As a result, much information is now available regarding the biophysical mechanisms that underlie the oscillations in the mammalian olfactory system. Recent studies have expanded on these and addressed functionality directly in mammals and in the analogous insect system. Sub-bands within the rodent gamma oscillatory band associated with specific behavioral and cognitive states have also been identified. All this makes oscillatory neuronal networks a unique interdisciplinary platform from which to study neurocognitive and dynamical phenomena in intact, freely behaving animals. We present here a summary of what has been learned about the functional role and mechanisms of gamma oscillations in the olfactory system as a guide for similar studies in other cortical systems.