CIRCUIT MECHANISMS SHAPING OLFACTORY CORTICAL RESPONSES DURING PASSIVE AND ACTIVE

University Of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A central issue in sensory research is understanding how behaviorally relevant stimuli are represented in the activity of neural networks. In this proposal, we explore the links between the function of neuronal circuits and behavior in the olfactory system. When animals encounter a novel odorant or environment they quickly transition from passive respiration to active sniffing. In humans, impaired sniffing in Parkinson's patients leads to olfactory task deficits. Although sniffing is proposed to play an important role in the formation of olfactory percepts, it is not known how cortical networks process information acquired during sniffing. The experiments we describe in this proposal investigate the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms that produce dynamic cortical response patterns that are reflective of input obtained during passive respiration versus active sniffing. Our preliminary data suggests that short-term synaptic plasticity in olfactory bulb inputs and local interneuron microcircuits act synergistically to produce differential cortical population responses during passive respiration versus active sniffing. We will use a combination of in vitro calcium imaging and simultaneous, multi-neuron, electrophysiological recording to elucidate the roles of synaptic plasticity and circuit architecture in shaping cortical responses. Such a mechanistic and detailed analysis olfactory cortical circuitry will provide an important framework for understanding how olfactory information is processed during passive and active behavioral states.