ABSTRACT
Knowledge about the molecular organization principles of the sense of smell in different species has greatly improved in the last decade (Bargmann 2006; Mombaerts 2004a, 2004b; Rodriguez 2007). It is now well established that in many species, odorant molecules are detected by large families of G-protein-coupled receptors (Buck and Axel 1991), whose molecular sequence and structure may vary across species and phyla, but that essentially implement the same function (Bargmann 2006). Interestingly, the insect olfactory receptors display a unique and unconventional membrane topology in comparison to the mammalian receptors, questioning the existence of a coupling with G-proteins (Benton et al. 2006; Vosshall and Stocker 2007). Nevertheless, understanding how odorant information generated by these large arrays of receptors is interpreted
13.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 329 13.2 Olfactory Perception in the Time Domain ......................................................................... 331
13.2.1 Temporal Coding: Definition and Controversy .................................................... 331 13.2.2 The Intrinsic Temporal Fluctuation of Smells ...................................................... 332 13.2.3 Time and Olfactory Behavior ............................................................................... 334
13.3 Temporal Dynamics at Different Timescales ..................................................................... 335 13.3.1 Gamma and Beta Range Oscillations in the Olfactory System ............................ 335
13.3.1.1 Phenomenology .................................................................................... 335 13.3.1.2 Mechanism ........................................................................................... 336 13.3.1.3 Fast Oscillation and Behavior .............................................................. 337
13.3.2 Oscillatory Dynamics due to Sniffing in Mammals............................................. 337 13.3.2.1 Phenomenology and Mechanism.......................................................... 337 13.3.2.2 Breathing Cycle Dynamics and Behavior ............................................ 338
13.3.3 Slow, Nonoscillatory Patterning in Fish, Insects, and Mammals ......................... 338 13.3.3.1 Phenomenology and Mechanism.......................................................... 338 13.3.3.2 Slow Dynamics and Behavior ..............................................................340
