Dissertation Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Olfactory Neurons in Primates

论文研究：灵长类动物嗅觉神经元的定量和定性分析

• 批准号: 8903717
• 负责人: Ilya Glezer
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: CUNY City College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1989
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1989-04-01 至 1991-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8903717&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Quantitative; Qualitative; Analysis

The primary objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that reduction in size of the olfactory system of the brain in higher primates has been accompanied by a significant reorganization at the cellular level. Such reorganization could have allowed some animals previously considered to be microsmatic (having a poor sense of smell)--including humans--to have highly discriminative olfactory systems despite their small size. The Principal Investigators will conduct a quantitative analysis of neurons of the olfactory system, their arrangement, and their interconnections in the brains of several primates and other mammals. The animals to be used in this research are to be received from other investigators and this therefore represents a judicious use of a valuable resource. This research addresses a fundamental question of interest to those involved with either olfactory behavior or anatomy; namely, why do some animals, sensitive to olfactory cues and with seemingly complex social behavioral patterns, have what appear to be diminutive olfactory structures? Anthropologists have traditionally believed that the olfactory system in primates has been reduced at the expense of development of the visual system. This research could demonstrate that long-held tenet of anthropology to be misleading if reorganization of the olfactory system has allowed a small "smell-brain" to be just as efficient in some respects as a large one.

这项研究的主要目的是检验以下假设：高等灵长类动物大脑嗅觉系统尺寸的减小伴随着细胞水平的显着重组。这种重组可能会让一些以前被认为是微嗅觉（嗅觉很差）的动物——包括人类——尽管体型很小，却拥有高度辨别能力的嗅觉系统。首席研究员将对几种灵长类动物和其他哺乳动物大脑中的嗅觉系统神经元、它们的排列及其相互连接进行定量分析。本研究中使用的动物是从其他研究人员处获得的，因此这代表了对宝贵资源的明智使用。这项研究解决了涉及嗅觉行为或解剖学的人们感兴趣的一个基本问题；也就是说，为什么一些对嗅觉线索敏感且具有看似复杂的社会行为模式的动物，却拥有看似小型的嗅觉结构？人类学家传统上认为，灵长类动物的嗅觉系统的减弱是以视觉系统的发育为代价的。这项研究可以证明，如果嗅觉系统的重组使得小型“嗅觉大脑”在某些方面与大型“嗅觉大脑”一样高效，那么人类学长期以来的信条就会产生误导。