The sense of smell is important for human quality of life. This sophisticated sensorial system relies on the detection of odorant molecules that engage receptors expressed in the cilia of dedicated neurons that consti...The sense of smell is important for human quality of life. This sophisticated sensorial system relies on the detection of odorant molecules that engage receptors expressed in the cilia of dedicated neurons that constitute the olfactory epithelium（OE）. Importantly, the OE is a highly active site of adult neurogenesis where short-lived neurons are efficiently replenished, even after massive neuronal cell loss. It is suggested that the degree of olfactory function recovery after OE injury may depend on the nature of the lesion（traumatic, chemical, infectious or inflammatory）, as well on the velocity of cellular regeneration. Topical steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as glucocorticoids, are routinely prescribed for treating upper airway inflammatory conditions, such as chronic rhinosinusitis. While the therapeutic strategy aims to minimize the inflammatory damage and dysfunction to nasal air conduction, new evidences raise concerns if such drugs may impair neuronal regeneration in the OE. In consequence, new directions are necessary in terms of drug development or prescription, in order to preserve olfactory function through lifelong repeated episodes of chronic inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. Here we discuss mechanisms involved in glucocorticoid deleterious effects to OE regeneration and possible therapeutic alternatives considering relevant side effects.展开更多
In olfactory research, neural oscillations exhibit excellent temporal regularity, which are functional and necessary at thephysiological and cognitive levels. In this paper, we employed a bionic tissue biosensor which...In olfactory research, neural oscillations exhibit excellent temporal regularity, which are functional and necessary at thephysiological and cognitive levels. In this paper, we employed a bionic tissue biosensor which treats intact epithelium as sensing element to record the olfactory oscillations extracellularly. After being stimulated by odorant of butanedione, the olfactory receptor neurons generated different kinds of oscillations, which can be described as pulse firing oscillation, transient firing oscillation, superposed firing oscillation, and sustained firing oscillation, according to their temporal appearances respectively. With a time-frequency analysis of sonogram, the oscillations also demonstrated different frequency properties, such as δ, θ, α, β and γ oscillations. The results suggest that the bionic biosensor cooperated with sonogram analysis can well improve the in- vestigation of olfactory oscillations, and provide a novel model for artificial olfaetion sensor design.展开更多
基金supported by research grants to IG from Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo(FAPESP 2007/53732-8)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico(CNPq 484869/2012-4)CEPID Redoxoma(FAPESP 2013/07937-8)
文摘The sense of smell is important for human quality of life. This sophisticated sensorial system relies on the detection of odorant molecules that engage receptors expressed in the cilia of dedicated neurons that constitute the olfactory epithelium（OE）. Importantly, the OE is a highly active site of adult neurogenesis where short-lived neurons are efficiently replenished, even after massive neuronal cell loss. It is suggested that the degree of olfactory function recovery after OE injury may depend on the nature of the lesion（traumatic, chemical, infectious or inflammatory）, as well on the velocity of cellular regeneration. Topical steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as glucocorticoids, are routinely prescribed for treating upper airway inflammatory conditions, such as chronic rhinosinusitis. While the therapeutic strategy aims to minimize the inflammatory damage and dysfunction to nasal air conduction, new evidences raise concerns if such drugs may impair neuronal regeneration in the OE. In consequence, new directions are necessary in terms of drug development or prescription, in order to preserve olfactory function through lifelong repeated episodes of chronic inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. Here we discuss mechanisms involved in glucocorticoid deleterious effects to OE regeneration and possible therapeutic alternatives considering relevant side effects.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China，The Research on Public Welfare Technology Application Projects of Zhejiang Province,China，The Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China，The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
文摘In olfactory research, neural oscillations exhibit excellent temporal regularity, which are functional and necessary at thephysiological and cognitive levels. In this paper, we employed a bionic tissue biosensor which treats intact epithelium as sensing element to record the olfactory oscillations extracellularly. After being stimulated by odorant of butanedione, the olfactory receptor neurons generated different kinds of oscillations, which can be described as pulse firing oscillation, transient firing oscillation, superposed firing oscillation, and sustained firing oscillation, according to their temporal appearances respectively. With a time-frequency analysis of sonogram, the oscillations also demonstrated different frequency properties, such as δ, θ, α, β and γ oscillations. The results suggest that the bionic biosensor cooperated with sonogram analysis can well improve the in- vestigation of olfactory oscillations, and provide a novel model for artificial olfaetion sensor design.
