Introduction: Why Neuroethology of Olfaction in Latin America?

P G GUERENSTEIN

Colonia del Sacramento

Simposio; Congreso Latinoamericano de Ecologia Quimica, Simposio: Neuroethology of odor sensing; 2010

Asociacion Latinoamericana de Ecologia Quimica

Briefl y, neuroethology studies the neural bases of natural behavior, while also dealing withdevelopment and evolution of neural circuits and behaviors. Emphasis is given to considerationof the natural environment of the animal in all experimental work. Th e top-downapproach starts from behavioral/ecological questions and attempts to answer them even atthe neural level, while the bottom-up approach starts from neurophysiological questionsand attempts to understand the behavioral and ecological role of the neural circuits understudy. Applications range from pest control to robotics, disciplines that need to be furtherdeveloped in Latin America. In particular, studies on the neuroethology of olfactionand multimodal sensory integration are gaining ground all around the world, and LatinAmerica has the potential to be part of this endeavor.