European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 11 - Number 2
Eur J Anat, 11 (2): 123-147 (2007)

Chemical heterogeneity of the periglomerular neurons in the olfactory bulb. A review

Baltanas F.C., Weruaga E., Airado C., Valero J., Recio J.S., Diaz D., Alonso J.R.

Lab. Plasticidad Neuronal Y Neurorreparación, Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla Y León, Universidad de Salamanca, E-37007 Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla Y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Avda. Alfonso X el Sabio s/n, E-37007 Salamanca, Spain

ABSTRACT Periglomerular cells are interneurones that modulate the primary sensory information in the olfactory bulb. It was originally assumed that periglomerular cells constituted a homogeneous GABAergic population in the rat olfactory bulb, but in other species studies addressing this are scarce. However, several authors have shown that this neuronal type exhibits extraordinarily heterogeneous neurochemical features. The aim of this review is to compile and describe in detail the expression patterns of neuronal markers in the rat olfactory bulb, in particular in periglomerular cells, and to compare such information with previous data on other macrosmatic and microsmatic animals. Interspecies differences in the neurochemical composition of periglomerular cells could indicate different modes in the modulation of olfactory information.

Keywords: 4 aminobutyric acid, acetylcholine, calbindin, calcium binding protein, calretinin, cholecystokinin, dopamine, enkephalin, neurocalcin, neuropeptide Y, neurotransmitter, nitric oxide, parvalbumin, somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, cell function, cell structure, GABAergic system, nerve cell, olfactory bulb, review, species comparison, species difference

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)