Illusory olfactory stimuli to probe pathway-specific stimulus encoding

• Project/Area Number: 24K09688
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46030:Function of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
• Principal Investigator: フクナガ イズミ 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 知覚と行動の神経科学ユニット, 准教授 (90801259)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): REINERT Janine 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 知覚と行動の神経科学ユニット, ポストドクトラルスカラー (10931313)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2027-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
• Keywords: Olfaction / Temporal coding

Outline of Research at the Start

This study will explore how the brain's smell center, the olfactory bulb, uses different neuron types to process scents. We'll employ precise light-based techniques to stimulate these neurons and observe the effects on behavior. This approach will test if two types of output neurons, known as mitral and tufted cells, encode olfactory signals using different temporal patterns of activity. This will help us figure out how the brain distinguishes between various aspects of smells using different mechanisms. It's an important step toward grasping the complex ways our brain makes sense of smells.