Project

How sensory processing is occurring into the brain and how to relate behavior to neuronal activities are key questions in modern neuroscience. Understanding the neural codes underlying brain function will be of great importance for future implementation of brain-machine interfaces. This research project proposes to study the cellular and network mechanisms controlling sensory perception. In particular, we would like to precise how sensory stimuli are coded by brain networks and how these representations may be influenced by experience or modulatory brain centers.

In order to address these general questions, we propose to study olfaction as model sensory system. The olfactory system is central to the behavior of rodents (animal models that we study), is highly plastic and largely modulated by the neuromodulatory brain centers. This system has a relatively simple organization (only two synapses from sensory neurons to the cortex…), integrates cues and drive specific behavior.

We propose to use a combination of genetic, electrophysiological, imaging and behavioral methods to study how odor information is processed in the central nervous system as it moves from the periphery to higher areas of the brain. We would like to study how odorant representation and sensory coding may be altered by sensory experience and top down inputs from neuromodulatory brain centers at different levels of the olfactory pathway (periphery, olfactory bulb and cortex).

We believe that the general questions about sensory coding and plasticity addressed in this project go beyond understanding olfactory sensory perception per se and could potentially be generalized to the function of many brain regions.