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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Sep 15.
Published in final edited form as: J Chem Ecol. 2016 Sep 15;42(9):919–930. doi: 10.1007/s10886-016-0770-3

Figure 2. Olfactory mechanisms that can reduce attraction of insects to hosts.

Figure 2

Activation of labeled-line aversive circuits will lead to innate aversive behavior. Some odorants can inhibit ORNs mediating attractive behavior and therefore “mask” the target odor source. Other compounds can act as prolonged activators of ORNs, meaning that they increase the baseline neural firing rate for extended periods of time. This elevated activity reduces the ability of the neuron to detect attractive odorant stimuli. The internal state of an insect can affect how it responds to attractive host-odors. Starved insects will often process the same olfactory signal differently than satiated insects, leading to differences in behavior. The mechanisms underlying this processing can potentially be used to discover ways to reduce host-seeking behavior in insect vectors.