SenseLab Overview

SenseLab contains six related databases that support experimental and theoretical research on the membrane properties (for the properties covered see Membrane Properties Resource) that mediate information processing in nerve cells, using the olfactory pathway as a model system. There are two groups: neuronal and olfactory. All of the databases have the same database structure, so that there is continuous navigation between them. The neuronal databases are provided with tools which allow searches for combinations of properties across different neuron types. The olfactory databases are focused on olfactory receptors and odor maps. They consist of the following:

Neuronal Databases

• Cell Properties Database (CellPropDB) contains data regarding membrane properties for several types of neuron. The properties are receptors, channels and transmitters. This database is designed as an initial site for storage and retrieval of genes and proteins expressed in a given cell type in a given region of the brain
• Neuron Database (NeuronDB) contains the data in CellPropDB, showing where in the neuron the different membrane properties are distributed. This information is essential for understanding the integrative actions in different parts of a neuron, and for constructing computational models
• Model Database (ModelDB) contains published computational models of neurons from NeuronDB, complete with files for running the models. The models give insight into how the membrane properties mediate neuronal integration and information processing, and suggest new hypotheses for experimental testing.

Olfactory Databases

• Olfactory Receptor Database (ORDB) contains data on the genes and sequences for olfactory receptor proteins. It provides for blast searches of both published and unpublished sequences. It is aimed at supporting the formidable task of cloning, sequencing and analysing these receptors that constitute the largest gene family in the genome
• Odor molecule Database (OdorDB) contains data on the odor molecules that have been shown to interact with different olfactory receptors. It is aimed at helping to solve the unprecedented problem of identifying the preferred odor ligands among thousands of potential molecules for the hundreds of different olfactory receptors
• Odor Map Database (OdorMapDB) contains odor-elicited activity patterns in the olfactory bulb.  It is based on current high resolution fMRI studies in rodents, with background data on the origins of mapping with 2-deoxyglucose. It facilitates correlations between these patterns and those obtained by other methods, and with molecular maps of olfactory receptor cell projections to the glomeruli.  This provides an integrated framework for understanding the neural basis of initial odor processing underlying the sense of smell