Trigeminally mediated odor aversions in starlings

Abstract

Electrophysiological and psychophysical evidence has demonstrated that trigeminal receptors in the nasal cavity respond to odorants. Despite these demonstrations of trigeminal chemoreception, it is not clear whether naso-trigeminal stimulation can be used to mediate learned behaviors in contexts such as feeding. Here, we report that starlings will learn aversions to odorant volatiles in a feeding context and that these aversions can be mediated by trigeminal cues.