Organisation and chemical neuroanatomy of the main olfactory bulb in paca (Cuniculus paca)

• Grant number: 12/16590-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2012
• End date: September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Marcia Rita Fernandes Machado
• Grantee: Marcia Rita Fernandes Machado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Tais Harumi de Castro Sasahara

Abstract

The olfactory system has a great capacity to detect different odors and present extremely importance in mammals survival and social life. The odor detection and interpretation play a role in defense behavior, territory marking, co-specie identification, detection of food and control some reproductive functions stimulated by pheromones. The majority of the studies, describing the bulb olfactory morphology and functions, were done in small rodent like rats and mice. In this way, the interest in pacas has been increased by researches searching for new experimental model and specially to establish a rational economic exploration and specie protection because the meat is tasty and well appreciated, providing a higher zootechnical potential. As observed, no studies were performed in paca's olfactory bulbs. This work is innovator and potentially important because will be the first description in this rodent. The results will bring great contribution by adding information to the Brazilian fauna wild rodent studies as well as give technical and scientific support to the experimental and commercial farm and to the bulb olfactory organisational comparative studies. The aim of this work is to describe the main olfactory bulb morphology and the chemical neuroanatomy in pacas. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE CASTRO SASAHARA, TAIS HARUMI; LEAL, LEONARDO MARTINS; SPILLANTINI, MARIA GRAZIA; FERNANDES MACHADO, MARCIA RITA. Organisation and Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Calretinin Immunoreactivity in the Main Olfactory Bulb of Paca (Cuniculus paca): A Large Caviomorph Rodent. Neurochemical Research, v. 40, n. 4, p. 740-746, APR 2015. (12/07790-4, 12/16590-9)