Long term functional plasticity of sensory inputs mediated by olfactory learning
Nixon M Abraham,
Roberto Vincis,
Samuel Lagier,
Ivan Rodriguez,
Alan Carleton
Affiliations
Nixon M Abraham
Department of Basic Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Roberto Vincis
Department of Basic Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Samuel Lagier
Department of Basic Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Ivan Rodriguez
Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Alan Carleton
Department of Basic Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Sensory inputs are remarkably organized along all sensory pathways. While sensory representations are known to undergo plasticity at the higher levels of sensory pathways following peripheral lesions or sensory experience, less is known about the functional plasticity of peripheral inputs induced by learning. We addressed this question in the adult mouse olfactory system by combining odor discrimination studies with functional imaging of sensory input activity in awake mice. Here we show that associative learning, but not passive odor exposure, potentiates the strength of sensory inputs up to several weeks after the end of training. We conclude that experience-dependent plasticity can occur in the periphery of adult mouse olfactory system, which should improve odor detection and contribute towards accurate and fast odor discriminations.
