Comparison of urinary odor-induced glomerular activation in the main olfactory bulb of aromatase knock-out and wild type female mice

Previously [D.W. Wesson, M. Keller, Q. Douhard, M.J. Baum, J. Bakker, Enhanced urinary odor discrimination in female aromatase knockout mice, Horm. Behav. 49 (2006) 580-586] female aromatase knock out mice successfully learned to discriminate in a food-motivated go/no-go task between urinary volatiles from ovariectomized female mice treated with estradiol as opposed to estradiol plus progesterone whereas wild type females failed to learn this odor discrimination. We asked whether this behavioral difference is reflected in the ability of these two types of urinary volatiles to differentially stimulate Fos expression in juxtaglomerular cells (an index of glomerular activation) of the main olfactory bulb (MOB) in wild type versus ArKO female mice. Statistically significant differences in the profiles of MOB glomerular activation were seen in ovariectomized, estrogen-treated ArKO as well as WT female subjects following exposure to urinary volatiles from ovariectomized females given estradiol alone as opposed to estradiol plus progesterone. Therefore, previously observed differences between females of the two genotypes in their behavioral responses to these odors must reflect differential processing in more central segments of the olfactory pathway instead of in the MOB.