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Neural dynamics underlying target-background separation in olfactory bulb

Award Number: F30DC023485
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/28/2027
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/27/2028

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Neural dynamics underlying target-background separation in olfactory bulb - PROJECT ABSTRACT: Target-background separation is a fundamental yet unresolved problem in sensory neuroscience, particularly in olfaction, where animals must detect behaviorally relevant odor signals within complex, fluctuating mixtures. This project will determine how early olfactory circuits implement perceptual segregation at the level of a single, genetically defined glomerular channel (M72S50) and its mitral and tufted cell (MC/TC) output neurons. Using a transgenic mouse line expressing ChR2 in M72S50 olfactory sensory neurons and GCaMP in all MCs/TCs, this project combines precise optogenetic activation of a single glomerulus with longitudinal two-photon imaging in awake, head-fixed mice performing a go/no-go target-detection task. By systematically varying background odor identity, concentration, and stimulus timing within a sniff cycle, the work will dissect how intra-glomerular interference and inter-glomerular lateral inhibition differentially shape OB output and behavioral detectability. Aim 1 will quantify how background odor identity, concentration, and target versus background timing influence target detection thresholds, establishing conditions under which strong versus weak ligands and non-ligands either block or permit detection of single-glomerulus optogenetic stimulation. Aim 2 will link these behavioral effects to underlying circuit mechanisms by measuring how task engagement modulates glomerular and MC/TC population activity, comparing passive and active states to reveal how task-engagement reshape target representations. This approach overcomes key limitations of prior mixture studies by constraining the target signal to a single identified channel, enabling precise quantification of intra- versus inter-glomerular contributions to perceptual masking, and by tracking the same neurons across learning. The proposed work will establish a mechanistic framework for figure-ground segregation in olfaction and provide general principles for how neural circuits extract relevant information from complex, dynamic sensory environments, with broad implications for sensory processing and neuropsychiatric disorders involving impaired stimulus selection.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $43,667 )
2026	2026	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	550 1ST AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10016	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	9/4/2026	NEW	$43,667
														Subtotal = $43,667

Grand Total All Awards = $43,667

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Neural dynamics underlying target-background separation in olfactory bulb

Award Number: F30DC023485

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/28/2027

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/27/2028

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