Changes in gaseous concentration of alkylpyrazine analogs affect mouse avoidance behavior

The Y-maze is often used to detect subtle differences between similar odor sources; however, very little information is available about the dispersion of odor plumes in the Y-maze. Using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in conjunction with a GC-MS system, we quantified alkylpyrazine analogs in the Y-maze. Rapid extraction of volatile compounds in the vapor phase enabled accurate quantitative analysis of temporal changes in the levels of gaseous alkylpyrazine analogs at several locations in the Y-maze. We conducted behavioral tests of mice in response to these volatiles and identified a positive relationship between the rate of increase in gaseous concentration and the induced avoidance rate. Our results demonstrate that the Y-maze is a simple but reliable apparatus for behavioral studies of olfaction. Our findings show that the HS-SPME fast extraction method could quantify how gaseous concentrations of alkylpyrazine analogs change over time, and that temporal increases in alkylpyrazine concentration were correlated with induction of aversive behavior in mice.