Inhibition shapes sex selectivity in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb.

Laterally connected inhibitory circuitry is found throughout the nervous system, including many early sensory processing systems. The extent to which it plays a role in shaping neuronal stimulus selectivity in systems like olfaction, however, which lack a simple two-dimensional representation of their stimulus space, has remained controversial. We examined this issue using an experimental preparation that allowed electrophysiological recording from the accessory olfactory bulb of an anesthetized mouse during the controlled delivery of pheromonal stimuli, in this case derived from the urine of male and female mice.