Acetylcholine Regulates Olfactory Perceptual Learning through Effects on Adult Neurogenesis

Arielle Schilit Nitenson; Gabriela Manzano Nieves; Devon Lynn Poeta; Ryan Bahar; Carolyn Rachofsky; Nathalie Mandairon; Kevin G Bath

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2019.11.016

Acetylcholine Regulates Olfactory Perceptual Learning through Effects on Adult Neurogenesis

iScience. 2019 Dec 20:22:544-556. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.11.016. Epub 2019 Nov 14.

Authors

Arielle Schilit Nitenson¹, Gabriela Manzano Nieves¹, Devon Lynn Poeta², Ryan Bahar¹, Carolyn Rachofsky¹, Nathalie Mandairon³, Kevin G Bath⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
² Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Box 1821, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
³ INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon 69000, France.
⁴ Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Box 1821, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Electronic address: kevin_bath@brown.edu.

Abstract

Learning to perceptually discriminate between chemical signals in the environment (olfactory perceptual learning [OPL]) is critical for survival. Multiple mechanisms have been implicated in OPL, including modulation of neurogenesis and manipulation of cholinergic activity. However, whether these represent distinct processes regulating OPL or if cholinergic effects on OPL depend upon neurogenesis has remained an unresolved question. Using a combination of pharmacological and optogenetic approaches, cholinergic activity was shown to be both necessary and sufficient to drive OPL, and this process was dependent on the presence of newly born cells in the olfactory bulb (OB). This study is the first to directly demonstrate that cholinergic effects on OPL require adult OB neurogenesis.

Keywords: Behavioral Neuroscience; Cellular Neuroscience; Sensory Neuroscience.