Chemoreceptory information

In short, ligand formation of one odorivector molecule with a receptor site having a complementary structure to structural elements of the odorivector would result in formation of a single bit of chemoreceptory information. The acceptor system is a modular system in which the transducer and the transponder can remain un-... 

Stimulus molecules approach the receptor area in a random distribution. Therefore, there cannot be a homogeneous distribution of chemical or enzymic processing capabilities over the area, as this would produce a chaotic mass of information. The capabilities of such precise chemoreceptory discrimination that we observe can only arise from an ordered system in such a way that specific reaction-types would be localized, or at least be concentrated in specific areas of the epithelium. ... 

The next question arising is that about the minimum mmber of monoosmatic components required to encode an odor quality. It has been recognized by BEETS that an inherent "Principle of informational complexity" makes the perception of even a single odorant molecular species informationally complex, even if the odor information pattern is dominated by the terminal derivative (monoosmatic component) of a single chemoreceptory modality. But there has to be something like a minimum complexity still. In terms of the EMO there must be a minimum number of monoosmatic components essential to produce a minimal odor information pattern. Again, since this problem is not in the domain of peripheral processes, the Enzyme Model of Olfaction cannot provide an answer. However, experimental results obtained by POLAK (m) indicate that one... 

---