A biophysical and statistical modeling paradigm for connecting neural physiology and function.

To understand single neuron computation, it is necessary to know how specific physiological parameters affect neural spiking patterns that emerge in response to specific stimuli. Here we present a computational pipeline combining biophysical and statistical models that provides a link between variation in functional ion channel expression and changes in single neuron stimulus encoding. More specifically, we create a mapping from biophysical model parameters to stimulus encoding statistical model parameters.

Mouse Navigation Strategies for Odor Source Localization.

Navigating an odor landscape is a critical behavior for the survival of many species, including mice. An ethologically relevant mouse behavior is locating food using information about odor concentration. To approximate this behavior, we used an open field odor-based spot-finding task indoors with little wind, examining navigation strategies as mice search for and approach an odor source.

Decreased amplitude and reliability of odor-evoked responses in two mouse models of autism.

Sensory processing deficits are increasingly recognized as core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However the molecular and circuit mechanisms that lead to sensory deficits are unknown. We show that two molecularly disparate mouse models of autism display similar deficits in sensory-evoked responses in the mouse olfactory system.

Differences in Glomerular-Layer-Mediated Feedforward Inhibition onto Mitral and Tufted Cells Lead to Distinct Modes of Intensity Coding.

Understanding how each of the many interneuron subtypes affects brain network activity is critical. In the mouse olfactory system, mitral cells (MCs) and tufted cells (TCs) comprise parallel pathways of olfactory bulb output that are thought to play distinct functional roles in odor coding. Here, in acute mouse olfactory bulb slices, we test how the two major classes of olfactory bulb interneurons differentially contribute to differences in MC versus TC response properties.

Postnatal Odor Exposure Increases the Strength of Interglomerular Lateral Inhibition onto Olfactory Bulb Tufted Cells.

Unlabelled: Lateral inhibition between pairs of olfactory bulb (OB) mitral cells (MCs) and tufted cells (TCs) is linked to a variety of computations including gain control, decorrelation, and gamma-frequency synchronization. Differential effects of lateral inhibition onto MCs and TCs via distinct lateral inhibitory circuits are one of several recently described circuit-level differences between MCs and TCs that allow each to encode separate olfactory features in parallel. Here, using acute OB slices from mice, we tested whether lateral inhibition is affected by prior odor exposure and if these effects differ between MCs and TCs.

Distinct lateral inhibitory circuits drive parallel processing of sensory information in the mammalian olfactory bulb.

Splitting sensory information into parallel pathways is a common strategy in sensory systems. Yet, how circuits in these parallel pathways are composed to maintain or even enhance the encoding of specific stimulus features is poorly understood. Here, we have investigated the parallel pathways formed by mitral and tufted cells of the olfactory system in mice and characterized the emergence of feature selectivity in these cell types via distinct lateral inhibitory circuits.

Morphological analysis of activity-reduced adult-born neurons in the mouse olfactory bulb.

Adult-born neurons (ABNs) are added to the olfactory bulb (OB) throughout life in rodents. While many factors have been identified as regulating the survival and integration of ABNs into existing circuitry, the understanding of how these factors affect ABN morphology and connectivity is limited. Here we compare how cell intrinsic [small interfering RNA (siRNA) knock-down of voltage gated sodium channels Na(V)1.

Dendritic processing within olfactory bulb circuits.

Odors elicit a well-organized pattern of activation in glomeruli across the surface of the olfactory bulb. However, the mechanisms by which this map is transformed into an odor code by the bulb circuitry remain unclear. Recent physiological studies in bulb slices have identified several synaptic processes that could be involved in sharpening odorant signals.