Electrophysiology of the olfactory pathway in the pigeon

Macadar, Angelica W.; Rausch, Lyle J.; Wenzel, Bernice M.; Hutchison, Larry V.

doi:10.1007/bf00656915

Cited by 25 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…These parts include the medial striatum (formerly lobus parolfactorius), cortex prepiriformis, mesopallium (formerly hyperstriatum ventrale) as well as higher-order sites such as the apical part of the hyperpallium (formerly hyperstriatum accessorium), the densocellular part of the hyperpallium (formerly hyperstriatum dorsale), the globus pallidus (formerly paleostriatum primitivum, the lateral striatum (formerly paleostriatum augmentatum), the nucleus septalis lateralis and the caudal nidopallium (formerly neostriatum caudale) (Macadar et al, 1980). This network thus includes multiple associative zones implicated in the decoding and integration of sensory information.…”

Section: The Existence Of a Functional Sense Of Olfaction In Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

Samuel

Balthazart²,

Bonadonna

2015

Hormones and Behavior

106

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Chemical cues were probably the first cues ever used to communicate and are still ubiquitous among living organisms. Birds have long been considered an exception: it was believed that birds were anosmic and relied on their acute visual and acoustic capabilities. Birds are however excellent smellers and use odors in various contexts including food searching, orientation, but also breeding. Successful reproduction in most vertebrates involves the exchange of complex social signals between partners. The first evidence for a role of olfaction in reproductive contexts in birds only dates back to the seventies, when ducks were shown to require a functional sense of smell to express normal sexual behaviors. Nowadays, even if the interest for olfaction in birds has largely increased, the role that bodily odors play in reproduction still remains largely understudied. The few available studies however suggest that olfaction is involved in many reproductive stages. Odors have been shown to influence the choice and synchronization of partners, the choice of nest-building material or the care for the eggs and offspring. How this chemical information is translated at the physiological level mostly remain to be described, although available evidence suggests that, as in mammals, key reproductive brain areas like the medial preoptic nucleus are activated by relevant olfactory signals. Olfaction in birds receives increasing attention and novel findings are continuously published, but many exciting discoveries are still ahead of us, and could make birds one of the animal classes with the largest panel of developed senses ever described.

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Section: The Existence Of a Functional Sense Of Olfaction In Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

Samuel

Balthazart²,

Bonadonna

2015

Hormones and Behavior

106

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“…Electrophysiology was further used to demonstrate that the electrical activity induced at the level of olfactory nerves by the detection of olfactory stimuli is transmitted to the various parts of the brain. These include parts of the basal ganglia and multiple locations in associative zones implicated in the decoding and integration information that the animal gathers from the outside world [57]. …”

Section: Electrophysiological Evidence For Olfactory Perception Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

The underestimated role of olfaction in avian reproduction?

Balthazart

Taziaux

2009

Behavioural Brain Research

104

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Until the second half of the 20 th century, it was broadly accepted that most birds are microsmatic if not anosmic and unable to detect and use olfactory information. Exceptions were eventually conceded for species like procellariiforms, vultures or kiwis that detect their food at least in part based on olfactory signals. During the past 20-30 years, many publications have appeared indicating that this view is definitely erroneous. We briefly review here anatomical, electrophysiological and behavioral data demonstrating that birds in general possess a functional olfactory system and are able to use olfactory information in a variety of ethological contexts, including reproduction. Recent work also indicates that brain activation induced by sexual interactions with a female is significantly affected by olfactory deprivation in Japanese quail. Brain activation was measured via immunocytochemical detection of the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos. Changes observed concerned two brain areas that play a key role in the control of male sexual behavior, the medial preoptic nucleus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis therefore suggesting a potential role of olfaction in the control of reproduction. The widespread idea that birds are anosmic or microsmatic is thus not supported by the available experimental data and presumably originates in our anthropomorphic view that leads us to think that birds do not smell because they have a rigid beak and nostrils and do not obviously sniff. Experimental analysis of this phenomenon is thus warranted and should lead to a significant change in our understanding of avian biology.

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“…Central recordings also showed that the electrical activity observed in the olfactory nerves following the detection of olfactory stimuli is transmitted to the various parts of the brain. These include parts of the basal ganglia and multiple locations in associative zones implicated in the decoding and integration of information that the animal gathers from the outside world (Macadar et al 1980). …”

Section: Birds Are Not Anosmicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pheromones in birds: myth or reality?

Samuel

Balthazart

2010

J Comp Physiol A

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Birds are anosmic or at best microsmatic… This misbelief persisted until very recently and has strongly influenced the outcome of communication studies in birds, with olfaction remaining neglected as compared to acoustic and visual channels. However, there is now clear empirical evidence showing that olfaction is perfectly functional in birds and birds use olfactory information in a variety of ethological contexts. Although the existence of pheromones has never been formally demonstrated in this vertebrate class, different groups of birds, such as petrels, auklets and ducks have been shown to produce specific scents that could play a significant role in within-species social interactions. Behavioral experiments have indeed demonstrated that these odors influence the behavior of conspecifics. Additionally, in quail, deprivation of olfactory inputs decreases neuronal activation induced by sexual interactions with a female. It seems therefore well established that birds enjoy a functional sense of smell and a fast growing body of experimental evidence suggests that they use this channel of olfactory communication to control their social life. The unequivocal identification of an avian pheromone is, however, still ahead of us but there are now many exciting opportunities to unravel the behavioral and physiological particularities of chemical communication in birds.

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Electrophysiology of the olfactory pathway in the pigeon

Cited by 25 publications

References 22 publications

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

The underestimated role of olfaction in avian reproduction?

Pheromones in birds: myth or reality?

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