We have studied the patterns of glomerular activation evoked in the olfactory bulbs of C57BL/6J and AKR/J mice by olfactory stimulations with amyl acetate or isovaleric acid. Patterns of glomerular activation were obtained with the 2-deoxyglucose method and subsequently compared using a computer-assisted image analysis. The mice of both inbred strains stimulated with amyl acetate or isovaleric acid were characterized by areas of high 2-deoxyglucose uptake in their glomerular layer. Statistical comparisons of the patterns demonstrated that they were odor-specific. Although C57BL/6J mice have been found to be specifically anosmic to isovaleric acid, our findings indicate that their olfactory system is topographically activated by olfactory stimulations with this odorant. However, patterns of glomerular activity evoked by isovaleric acid stimulations are not similar in the two studied strains.