A multimodal approach for tracing lateralization along the olfactory pathway in the honeybee through electrophysiological recordings, morpho-functional imaging, and behavioural studies

摘要

Recent studies have revealed asymmetries between the left and right sides ofthe brain in invertebrate species. Here we present a review of a series ofrecent studies from our labs, aimed at tracing asymmetries at different stagesalong the honeybee's (Apis mellifera) olfactory pathway. These includeestimates of the number of sensilla present on the two antennae, obtained byscanning electron microscopy, as well as electroantennography recordings of theleft and right antennal responses to odorants. We describe investigativestudies of the antennal lobes, where multi-photon microscopy is used to searchfor possible morphological asymmetries between the two brain sides. Moreover,we report on recently published results obtained by two-photon calcium imagingfor functional mapping of the antennal lobe aimed at comparing patterns ofactivity evoked by different odours. Finally, possible links to the results ofbehavioural tests, measuring asymmetries in single-sided olfactory memoryrecall, are discussed.