Selective attention changes odor perception: olfactory model and odor perception prediction based on behavioral experiments on mice

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26730144
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Kansei informatics
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Soh Zu 広島大学, 工学研究院, 助教 (80724351)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 嗅覚系 / 選択的注意 / ニューラルネットモデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research, we aim at elucidating the information processing mechanism related to selective attention and enable perceptual similarity prediction for odors based on olfactory models. First, we proposed a neural activity pattern prediction model of the glomeruli distributed on the surface of the olfactory bulb of mouse, and obtained high correlation (mean r=0.75, p<0.01) between predicted activity patterns and measured activity patterns. We also succeeded in predicting the discrimination rate of the mouse when odors composed of multiple molecules were presented in pairs, by constructing a neural circuit model capable of realizing selective attention in the olfactory system. From the above, we found the possibility of objective evaluation of perceptual similarity through neural activity patterns.

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