Killam Seminar Series: Imprinting, Odor Perception and the Critical Period: Shaping Behavioral Responses
Gr芒ce 脿 la g茅n茅rosit茅 des fiducies Killam, Le Neuro convoque lors d鈥檜ne s茅rie de s茅minaires des conf茅renciers d鈥檈xception dont les travaux passionnent ses chercheurs et ceux de l鈥橴niversit茅 平特五不中.听
Pour participer en personne, inscrivez-vous听
Pour visionner la diffusion sur Vimeo, cliquez sur le lien听
Congrong (Ron) Yu
Chercheur et professeur, Institut de recherche m茅dicale Stowers, 脡tats-Unis
贬么迟别:听jf.cloutier [at] mcgill.ca (Jean-Fran莽ois Cloutier)
Abstract:听Animals exhibit innate appetitive and aversive responses to specific odor stimuli, while also learning to approach or avoid odors through experience. Although the innate behavioral responses must be established genetically, we found that these responses can be altered by odor experience during early postnatal experience, through a process known as olfactory imprinting. We found that exposure to odors during the developmental critical period of the olfactory system converts innately aversive odors into homing signals for mice under threat. Mechanistically, early odor exposure alters the projection patterns of olfactory sensory neurons, thereby changing odor identity. We found that this developmental plasticity required a population of cells during perinatal neurogenesis. Moreover, we identify a master regulator that orchestrates axon plasticity and gene expression during the critical period. Its absence disrupts the closure of the critical period and abolishes odor imprinting.
