昆虫嗅觉系统结构与功能研究进展

昆虫的脑由前脑、中脑和后脑组成,其中前脑含有高级感觉中枢,如蘑菇体和中央复合体,控制昆虫的学习、记忆和运动等高级神经活动;中脑包含触角叶,是嗅觉神经中心;而后脑则通常不发达,主要包括内分泌神经元和控制进食与消化的运动神经元。不同于其他物种,昆虫由于其特殊的生活习性,听觉和视觉系统相对退化,主要依赖嗅觉来捕食、交流和求偶,因此嗅觉系统尤其发达。本文综述了目前对昆虫的脑部主要神经结构和功能(中央复合体、蕈形体和触角叶结构)以及昆虫脑部结构遗传变异(性别异构,不同发育时期、不同昆虫以及昆虫与其他动物的脑部结构差异)的研究进展,并总结了目前昆虫脑对信号的加工处理和识别机制的研究结果。

Research progress in the structure and function of insect olfactory systems

The insect brain is composed of protocerebrum, deutocerebrum and tritocerebrum. The protocerebrum contains advanced sensory centers, such as mushroom body and central complex, controlling the advanced neural activities of insects, such as learning, memory and mobility. The deutocerebrum includes antennal lobe, which is the center of olfactory systems, while the tritocerebrum, which usually is not developed well, includes endocrine and mobile neurons. Unlike other organisms, the auditory and visual systems of insects are relatively degenerated because of their special biological characteristics. They prey, communicate and call mainly depending on the olfactory system, and thus their olfactory systems have been delicately developed. We here reviewed the research progress in the neuronal structure and function of insect brain (central complex, mushroom body and antennal lobe) and the genetic variation of the brain structures (sex dimorphism, differences between developmental stages, insects, and insects and other animals), and summarized the revealed mechanisms that insect brains process and identify odor signals.