Presentation Details
| Hunger States Drive Norepinephrine Concentration Dynamics in the Olfactory Epithelium Qiaohan Yang1, Gregory Lane1, Andrew Sheriff 1, Adam Dede1, Naelly Arriaga1, Seth Batten1, Leonardo Barbosa2, Paul Sands2, Venkatesh Jatla2, Jason White2, Terry Lohrenz2, Bruce Tan3, P Read Montague2, Christina Zelano1. 1Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.2VTC, Virginia Tech, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Roanoke, VA, USA.3Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA |
Abstract
Internal state powerfully shapes sensory perception, likely through neuromodulators at the periphery, yet most descriptions of the olfactory system assume that odor signals pass from olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) to the olfactory bulb (OB) largely unaltered. Despite this, the olfactory epithelium (OE) is densely innervated by sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and OSNs express receptors for diverse neuromodulators. However, state-dependent neuromodulation at this earliest stage remains largely unexplored. We address this gap with sub-second estimates of norepinephrine concentration changes from deep-learning-enhanced electrochemical recordings at the human OE to examine food odor-associated neuromodulatory changes across states of hunger and satiety. Participants completed a food-odor pleasantness task while hungry and again after eating to satiety. On each trial, participants sniffed food odors derived from their chosen meal or clean air, and rated pleasantness. Physiological signals (nasal airflow, ECG, EEG) were recorded concurrently. Preliminary data from five participants indicate that norepinephrine (NE) dynamics in the OE differ by internal state: during hunger, NE levels are sustained following food-odor sniffs and peak during inhalation, whereas during satiety, NE levels drop sharply during food-odor sampling. These findings suggest that autonomic neuromodulation at the OE tunes odor coding according to hunger state, revealing the peripheral olfactory system as an adaptive interface linking internal physiology to perception.
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