Chemosensory transduction olfactory system

These are exciting times in the field of chemosensory reception in general and olfaction in particular. In the decade since the landmark identification of a novel class of candidate odorant receptors (ORs) in rats (Buck and Axel, 1991), we have seen an explosion of similar studies involving other vertebrate as well as several insect species. In addition to an ever-increasing wealth of behavioral and physiological studies, insect systems provide arguably the most robust experimental system for the study of olfaction as well as a profound demonstration of the universal conservation of olfactory signal transduction mechanisms. 

In agreement with previous reports [4,32], our results indicated that many of the illnesses that occur with increasing age can be linked to a decrease in olfactory performance. At this level, we have to focus much more on our data in order to disentangle the direct age effect and/or the effect of the illness itself and/or the effect of the medication prescribed. The mechanisms by which drugs alter the chemical senses are not well understood [33]. Drugs may alter receptor cell turnover or interfere with transduction mechanisms. They may also alter neurotransmitters in the central nervous system that process chemosensory information. Never-... 

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