A systems approach to insect olfactory neurosensors

摘要

In this presentation we consider neurosensors. An insect olfactory sensory neuron is an example of a smell, or olfactory neurosensor. It responded in real time to the adequate odor stimulus and its response was monitored with a microelectrode connected into an input of a high impedance amplifier. The output of the amplifier was connected into an input of a multispikedetector (MSD), which sorted in real time measured action potentials according to their waveforms. Odor stimuli were produced with means of a simple static (constant flow) headspace configuration. An olfactory sensory neuron is inside of an olfactory sensillum. These sensilla are on the surface of an olfactory organ, an antennum. Some of the neurosensors indicated especial sensing properties to their stimulative compounds. For this reason they could be used as biosensors. Notwithstanding its microscopic size, a single neurosensor would make possible both odor sensing and analysis. We consider the sensitivity and specificity of the fly olfactory neurosensors to 1-hexanol, hexane, diaminobutane stimulants. Some of the neurosensors were responding inhibitively to the forementioned stimulant except to diaminobutane, the other excitatively, while the rest of neurosensors remain on the spontaneous activity level.