Perceptual constancy for an odor is acquired through changes in primary sensory neurons.

Abstract

The ability to consistently recognize an object despite variable sensory input is termed perceptual constancy. This ability is not innate; rather, it develops with experience early in life. We show that, when mice are naïve to an odor object, perceptual constancy is absent across increasing concentrations. The perceptual change coincides with a rapid reduction in activity from a single olfactory receptor channel that is most sensitive to the odor. This drop in activity is not a property of circuit interactions within the olfactory bulb; instead, it is due to a sensitivity mismatch of olfactory receptor neurons within the nose. We show that, after forming an association of this odor with food, the sensitivity of the receptor channel is matched to the odor object, preventing transmission failure and promoting perceptual stability. These data show that plasticity of the primary sensory organ enables learning of perceptual constancy.