Infusion of the metabotropic receptor agonist, DCG-IV, into the main olfactory bulb induces olfactory preference learning in rat pups.

DCG-IV, a type 2 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2) agonist, was infused into the main olfactory bulb of 1-week-old pups exposed to peppermint odor. A preference for peppermint was demonstrated 24 h later. The data support the proposal that disinhibition at dendrodendritic synapses between granule cells and mitral cells is a critical component of olfactory memory formation in the rat pup olfactory bulb as well as in the accessory olfactory bulb of adult rodents.