Odorant Identification using FNIRS of Main Olfactory Bulb in Rats

We characterize the hemodynamic response changes in the main olfactory bulb (MOB) of anesthetized rats with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during the presentation of three different odorants: (i) plain air as a reference (Blank), (ii) 2-heptanone (HEP), and (iii) isopropylbenzene (Ib). Odorants generate different changes in the concentrations of oxy-hemoglobin. Our results suggest that NIRS technology might be useful in discriminating various odorants in a non-invasive manner using animals with a superb olfactory system. Keywords—brain-machine interface (BMI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), main olfactory bulb (MOB), Oxy-hemoglobin (HbO2), Beer-Lambert law, maximum likelihood estimation (MLE).