Review
Cell Biology
Lucas David Jungblut, John O. Reiss, Andrea G. Pozzi
Summary: Anuran amphibians, such as frogs and toads, have complex olfactory systems with different sensory epithelia for waterborne and airborne odorants in larvae and adults. Olfaction plays diverse roles in the life of anurans, including the detection of pheromones and feeding cues, contributing to their adaptation to aquatic and terrestrial environments.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Daniel Kowatschew, Sigrun Korsching
Summary: The sense of smell relies on large gene families to detect and differentiate various odors. Four major olfactory receptor families have been discovered, with only three already present in lamprey, a jawless vertebrate. However, a fourth family was believed to have originated in jawed vertebrates. This study examined the complete vomeronasal receptor repertoire in three lamprey species and found evidence of v1r and v2r genes, indicating an early origin of the V2R family in the shared ancestor of jawed and jawless vertebrates. Despite the presence of v2r genes, lampreys have not yet acquired an olfactory function for this family, suggesting a disconnect between the evolutionary origin and functional onset of the V2R family as olfactory receptors.
Article
Cell Biology
Shoko Nakamuta, Masanori Mori, Miho Ito, Masanori Kurita, Masao Miyazaki, Yoshio Yamamoto, Nobuaki Nakamuta
Summary: The olfactory organ of turtles has an upper chamber epithelium (UCE) with associated glands and a lower chamber epithelium (LCE) devoid of glands. The UCE is responsible for detecting airborne odorants, while the LCE detects waterborne odorants. This study investigated the localization of odorant receptors (ORs) in green sea turtle hatchlings, finding that class I ORs were mainly expressed in the LCE, suggesting its sensitivity to waterborne odorants, whereas class II ORs were expressed in both the UCE and LCE, indicating that the entire olfactory organ detects airborne odorants. The widespread expression of class II ORs may enhance sea turtles' ability to sense airborne odorants.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Shoko Nakamuta, Yoshio Yamamoto, Masao Miyazaki, Atsuhiro Sakuma, Masato Nikaido, Nobuaki Nakamuta
Summary: Lungfish have a unique olfactory organ that consists of lamellar olfactory epithelium (OE) and recess epithelium, which correspond to the OE of fish and the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of tetrapods. The number and distribution range of recesses in the olfactory organ increase with body size. V1R-expressing cells are mainly found in the lamellar OE but also in the recess epithelium of lungfish, and the density of these cells is higher in juveniles compared to adults.
ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paula R. Villamayor, Alvaro J. Arana, Carlos Coppel, Irene Ortiz-Leal, Mateo Torres, Pablo Sanchez-Quinteiro, Laura Sanchez
Summary: Fish use chemosensory olfactory receptors to detect various water-soluble chemicals, influencing behaviors like reproduction, appetite, and fear responses. Zebrafish have a well-developed sense of smell similar to mammals, making them suitable for studies on olfactory differentiation and regeneration. Genomic techniques have helped identify specific olfactory cell types in zebrafish. This study aims to provide new insights into the complexity of the zebrafish olfactory system through histological and immunohistochemical analyses.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Shoko Nakamuta, Yoshio Yamamoto, Masao Miyazaki, Atsuhiro Sakuma, Masato Nikaido, Nobuaki Nakamuta
Summary: Lungfish have two distinct sensory epithelia in their olfactory organs, corresponding to the lamellar olfactory epithelium and primitive vomeronasal organ (VNO) found in teleosts and tetrapods, respectively. The expression of V1Rs, a type of olfactory receptor, in lungfish suggests an intermediate step in the segregation of V1R expression between the olfactory epithelium and VNO, reflecting the evolutionary position of lungfish between teleosts and amphibians.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
E. Altunisik, A. H. Baykan, S. Sahin, E. Aydin, S. M. Erturk
Summary: This study compared quantitative measurements of olfactory anatomic structures between patients diagnosed with COVID-19 associated with persistent olfactory dysfunction and healthy controls using MRI. The results showed significantly lower olfactory bulb volume, olfactory sulcus depth, and olfactory tract length in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls. MRI findings suggested olfactory injury in COVID-19 patients and the olfactory pathway may serve as an alternative route for virus entry into the central nervous system.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NEURORADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chiori Ijichi, Kenji Kondo, Masayoshi Kobayashi, Ayaka Shirasawa, Kazutaka Shimbo, Kunio Nakata, Yutaka Maruyama, Yusuke Ihara, Yayoi Kawato, Teruhisa Mannen, Rie Takeshita, Yoshimi Kikuchi, Yuki Saito, Tatsuya Yamasoba
Summary: In this study, lipocalin 15 (LCN15) was identified as an abundant component of olfactory mucus. LCN15 localized to the Bowman's glands of the olfactory cleft mucosa and was produced in non-degenerated areas of the olfactory neuroepithelium. The concentration of LCN15 in the mucus was found to be lower in older individuals with normal olfaction and tended to be lower in patients with idiopathic olfactory loss, suggesting that LCN15 may serve as a biomarker for Bowman's gland activity.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Devaraj Sankarganesh, Roy N. Kirkwood, Patricia Nagnan-Le Meillour, Jayaraman Angayarkanni, Shanmugam Achiraman, Govindaraju Archunan
Summary: Pigs use chemical communication, specifically steroid pheromones, for reproductive and other behaviors. These pheromones bind with carrier proteins and trigger a series of activities at the olfactory and endocrine levels. Pig appeasing pheromones also bind with carrier proteins and affect piglet behavior. Different proteins have been identified in the nasal mucus and vomeronasal organ (VNO) of pigs, playing critical roles. The importance of the chemosensory systems, main olfactory systems, and VNO in pigs has been comprehensively reported.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jianzheng He, Wenjuan Tuo, Xueyan Zhang, Yuting Dai, Ming Fang, Ting Zhou, Minghui Xiu, Yongqi Liu
Summary: This study investigates the effects of olfactory sensory neurons on food consumption, metabolism, and stress responses using the model system of Drosophila melanogaster. Dysfunction of these neurons results in decreased food consumption, increased triacylglycerol level, enhanced stress resistance, and decreased cold resistance. The findings provide insights into the role of the olfactory system in controlling feeding behaviors and physiology.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Denglong Ma, Weigao Mao, Wei Tan, Jianmin Gao, Zaoxiao Zhang, Yunchuan Xie
Summary: This study investigates a mobile robot system for tracing outdoor leak sources. The system utilizes two bionic searching algorithms and an artificial olfaction system to identify the composition of leaked gases. The results show that the improved algorithm achieves good performance in locating and searching efficiency.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Ping Zhu, Yulan Tian, Yating Chen, Wei Chen, Ping Wang, Liping Du, Chunsheng Wu
Summary: The mammalian olfactory system is able to distinguish thousands of odorant molecules at trace levels. Optogenetics offers a new technical approach utilizing light to illuminate specific parts of the olfactory system, aiding in revealing olfactory mechanisms. Recent advances in olfactory optogenetics focus on elucidating chemical sensing mechanisms, with current challenges and future development trends discussed.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adnan S. Syed, Kanika Sharma, Maxime Policarpo, Sara Ferrando, Didier Casane, Sigrun Korsching
Summary: Cartilaginous fishes have a low and stable number of olfactory chemosensory receptors belonging to the OR, TAAR, and V1R/ORA families, while the number of V2R/OlfC receptors is higher and more dynamic. The V2R/OlfC receptors are expressed in the olfactory epithelium in a sparse pattern, indicating the same cell-type specificity as bony fishes. The relatively low number of olfactory receptors in cartilaginous fishes compared to bony fishes may be due to a trade-off between olfactory sensitivity and discrimination capability.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Tal Inbar, Rachel Davis, Joseph F. Bergan
Summary: The study identified two new sources of aromatase signaling in the AOB, one being neurons within the AOB itself and the other being axons originating from the ventral MEA. A population of neurons in the ventral MEA provides significant feedback by aromatase-expressing neurons to the AOB, showing anatomical sex differences.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Joel Kowalewski, Brandon Huynh, Anandasankar Ray
Summary: The research utilized computational approaches to analyze olfactory perceptual space, successfully identifying physicochemical features associated with approximately 150 different perceptual descriptors and developing machine-learning models with high predictive accuracy.
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Juan Jose Criado-Alvarez, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano, Javier Aceituno-Gomez, Carmen Romo-Barrientos, Diana Monforte Perez, Daniel Saiz-Sanchez, Alicia Flores-Cuadrado, Jose Luis Martin-Conty, Francisco Martin-Rodriguez, Jaime Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Antonio Vinuela, Begona Polonio-Lopez
Summary: Students in the Speech Therapy program positively evaluated the optional practical anatomy course, believing that it increased their motivation and interest in anatomy, and would be beneficial for their future career development.
ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Carmen Romo-Barrientos, Antonio Vinuela, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano, Isabel Ubeda-Banon, Daniel Saiz-Sanchez, Javier Aceituno-Gomez, Maria Jose Guzman Pavon, Miriam Lopez Crespo, Daniel Torres Martin, Alino Martinez-Marcos, Juan Jose Criado-Alvarez
Summary: This study investigated the attitudes and anxiety levels of physiotherapy students when facing their first prosection, finding that female students showed higher levels of trait and state anxiety compared to male students. The study suggests that coping mechanisms should be implemented to address the stressful responses provoked by the dissection experience, especially among female students.
ANNALS OF ANATOMY-ANATOMISCHER ANZEIGER
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Veronica Astillero-Lopez, Melania Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Sandra Villar-Conde, Alicia Flores-Cuadrado, Alino Martinez-Marcos, Isabel Ubeda-Banon, Daniel Saiz-Sanchez
Summary: This study investigated the involvement of neural and glial populations in the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer's disease. The results showed neurodegeneration, microglial reduction, and astrogliosis, as well as the relationships between specific proteins and synaptic, neuroinflammatory, and oxidative stress processes.
ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Melania Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Sandra Villar-Conde, Veronica Astillero-Lopez, Patricia Villanueva-Anguita, Isabel Ubeda-Banon, Alicia Flores-Cuadrado, Alino Martinez-Marcos, Daniel Saiz-Sanchez
Summary: This study assessed hippocampal atrophy and/or gliosis in Alzheimer's disease using quantification and proteomic analysis. The results showed reduced hippocampal volume, particularly in the CA1 region, which correlated with neuronal loss and astrogliosis. The study also identified downregulated and upregulated proteins related to neurodegeneration and gliosis, including Hsp90 family chaperones possibly involved in degrading A beta and tau through chaperone-mediated autophagy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Sandra Villar-Conde, Veronica Astillero-Lopez, Melania Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Daniel Saiz-Sanchez, Isabel Ubeda-Banon, Alicia Flores-Cuadrado, Alino Martinez-Marcos
Summary: Hyposmia is a prodromal symptom of Parkinson's disease and is associated with alpha-synuclein involvement in the anterior olfactory nucleus. This study analyzed cell density and pathology in different regions of the brain, revealing that the bulbar anterior olfactory nucleus may play a significant role in Parkinson's disease pathology.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Jose Terrado, Olga Gomez, Deborah Chicharro, Maria Garcia-Manzanares, Miriam Juarez, Carmen Romo-Barrientos, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano, Juan Jose Criado-Alvarez
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the emotions, feelings, and anxiety levels of veterinary students when using dog cadavers in practicals. The results showed that students felt more stressed before the practical, but their anxiety levels significantly decreased by the end of the session. Most students had positive responses to the emotions during the practicals and believed that watching educational videos can help decrease anxiety and enhance their learning experience.
ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Melania Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Sandra Villar-Conde, Veronica Astillero-Lopez, Patricia Villanueva-Anguita, Isabel Ubeda-Banon, Alicia Flores-Cuadrado, Alino Martinez-Marcos, Daniel Saiz-Sanchez
Summary: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of pathological amyloid-beta (A beta) and Tau proteins and can spread through brain regions via neural connections and glial cells. The amygdaloid complex (AC) is a hub for propagating pathology with early involvement in the disease, and proteomic analysis identified synaptic alterations and volume reduction in AD without neuronal loss. Astrocyte-mediated phagocytic microglial activation and the dual role of microglia are observed, suggesting their potential participation in the spreading of the disease. Proteomic data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD038322.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
M. Isabel Donoso Calero, Laura Mordillo-Mateos, Jose L. Martin-Conty, Begona Polonio-Lopez, Angel Lopez-Gonzalez, Carlos Durantez-Fernandez, Antonio Vinuela, Marta Rodriguez Hernandez, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano, Raul Lopez-Izquierdo, Cristina Jorge Soto, Francisco Martin-Rodriguez
Summary: This study compared the predictive ability of lactate, modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (mREMS), and mREMS plus lactate (mREMS-L) for 30-day in-hospital mortality. The results showed that mREMS-L had better predictive ability than mREMS and lactate separately.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maria I. Donoso-Calero, Jose L. Martin Conty, Raul Lopez-Izquierdo, Ancor Sanz-Garcia, Michele Dileone, Begona Polonio-Lopez, Laura Mordillo-Mateos, Juan F. Delgado F. Benito, Carlos del Pozo Vegas, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano, Francisco Martin-Rodriguez
Summary: This study aimed to determine the factors associated with clinical impairment and cumulative in-hospital mortality in patients with prehospital seizures. The results showed that certain prehospital variables could reflect the clinical impairment and mortality of these patients, and incorporating these variables into prehospital decision-making process could improve patient outcomes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Marta Rodriguez-Hernandez, Begona Polonio-Lopez, Ana-Isabel Corregidor-Sanchez, Jose L. Martin-Conty, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano, Juan-Jose Criado-Alvarez
Summary: The study aimed to investigate whether conventional rehabilitation combined with specific virtual reality is more effective in restoring hand motor function and muscle tone after stroke compared to conventional therapy alone. The study design involved a prospective single-blind randomized controlled trial, with participants allocated to either the control group that received conventional rehabilitation or the experimental group that received a combination of conventional rehabilitation and virtual reality technology. The results showed that the combination therapy was more effective in improving hand motor function, voluntary movement, and muscle tone compared to conventional therapy alone.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Ricardo Insausti, Ana Maria Insausti, Monica Munoz Lopez, Isidro Medina Lorenzo, Maria del Mar Arroyo-Jimenez, Maria Pilar Marcos Rabal, Carlos de la Rosa-prieto, Jose Carlos Delgado-Gonzalez, Javier Monton Etxeberria, Sandra Cebada-Sanchez, Juan Francisco Raspeno-Garcia, Maria Mercedes Iniguez de Onzono, Francisco Javier Molina Romero, Ruth Benavides-Piccione, Silvia Tapia-Gonzalez, Laura E. M. Wisse, Sadhana Ravikumar, David A. Wolk, Javier DeFelipe, Paul Yushkevich, Emilio Artacho-Perula
Summary: We propose a method of human brain fixation using simultaneous perfusion of 4% paraformaldehyde and saline through the carotid system. This method allows for various histological procedures and high-resolution MRI scanning, with minimal deformation compared to conventional techniques. It is beneficial for both anatomical research and teaching purposes.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emilio Llanos-Gonzalez, Francisco J. Sancho-Bielsa, Javier Frontinan-Rubio, Yoana Rabanal-Ruiz, Sonia Garcia-Carpintero, Eduardo Chicano, Isabel Ubeda-Banon, Alicia Flores-Cuadrado, Lydia Gimenez-Llort, Francisco Javier Alcain, Juan Ramon Peinado, Mario Duran-Prado
Summary: Despite the proteopathic nature of Alzheimer's disease, the spatiotemporal signature of disrupted protein modules in AD brains is poorly understood. By using MALDI-MSI and functional bioinformatic analysis, a protocol was developed to study how deregulated protein modules arise in an age-dependent manner in the AD mice model and identify which modules can be restored to a non-pathological condition through early intervention with ubiquinol.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Antonio Vinuela, Carlos Durantez-Fernandez, Oliva Cuesta Morillo, Clara Maestre-Miquel, Jose Luis Martin-Conty, Francisco Martin-Rodriguez, Begona Polonio-Lopez, Francisca Torres-Felguera, Alicia Mohedano-Moriano
Summary: This study found that there is an increase in body mass index (BMI) among adolescents during Christmas vacation, with the greatest increase during the summer. Changes in weight, BMI, and waist circumference were evaluated in relation to adherence to the Mediterranean diet or a low-fat diet. The results showed that students gained a significant amount of weight during the holidays, especially those who followed a high-fat diet.
