In rats, odor-induced Fos in the olfactory pathways depends on the phase of the circadian clock.

We used immunostaining for Fos to study the effect of circadian clock phase on odor-induced neuronal activation in the olfactory system in rats. Brief presentation of cedar odor to rats housed in constant darkness stimulated Fos expression in the main olfactory bulb, anterior olfactory nucleus, piriform cortex, and several other odor-responsive structures, both in the subjective day and subjective night phases of the cycle. Fos expression in response to odor, but not basal expression, was greatly enhanced in the subjective night in all structures examined. These findings are consistent with the idea that odor-induced neuronal activation in the olfactory pathways is modulated by the phase of the circadian clock.