Trade-off between sensitivity and selectivity in olfactory receptor neuron

Abstract

It was observed before that due to convergence in the olfactory system a possible amplification can be as large as the degree of convergence. This is in the case when a single impulse from the converging inputs is enough to trigger the secondary neuron. On the other hand, if a number of impulses are required for triggering, a gain in discriminating ability may be obtained along with decrease in sensitivity gained due to the convergence. We discuss this trade-off in terms of concrete estimates using olfactory sensory neuron and the set of its receptor proteins as an example of system with convergence.