Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

From scent to sustenance: Investigating the connection between the olfactory bulb and hypothalamic function

Award Number: F31DC023137
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: 09/30/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/29/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

From scent to sustenance: Investigating the connection between the olfactory bulb and hypothalamic function - ABSTRACT Increasing excitability of mitral and tufted cells in the olfactory bulb improves health and whole-body metabolism. The impact of altered excitability in mitral and tufted cells on downstream targets of the olfactory bulb and how this translates to enhanced metabolism remains unknown. The primary objective of my project is to map functional connectivity between the olfactory bulb and the rest of the brain. My overall goal is to dissect the connection between the olfactory bulb and neuroendocrine function. I hypothesize that enhanced excitability in mitral and tufted cells can modify neuronal activation following food-related odor exposure and restore activity in hypothalamic areas deleteriously affected by diet-induced obesity. The three specific aims designed to investigate this hypothesis are: 1) To map odor-evoked immediate-early gene activation and examine changes attributed to enhanced mitral and tufted cell excitability or diet-induced obesity. 2) To identify cell types, genes, and pathways upregulated in the paraventricular hypothalamus following odor exposure. 3) To measure the effect of odor stimulation on neuroendocrine function. Enhanced activity in the paraventricular hypothalamus protects against diet-induced obesity through altered neuroendocrine signaling. In my studies, I will apply cell-selective CRISPR/Cas9 editing of the Kv1.3 ion channel to enhance mitral and tufted cell excitability in these major output neurons of the olfactory bulb. My experiments are designed to modify diet composition to induce obesity, followed by measurement of brain-wide changes in neural activation following odor exposure visualized by tissue clearing and light sheet microscopy. Experiments examining the influence of odor stimulation on neuroendocrine function will include—single-nuclear sequencing to identify cell types, genes, and pathways altered in the paraventricular hypothalamus following odor exposure; RNAscope to validate the genes identified; flurogold tracing to test whether odor-activated neurons are hypophysiotropic; and assessing circulating hormone levels. Overall, my experiments will investigate the connection between the olfactory bulb and hypothalamic function to uncover a potential mechanism of how enhanced olfactory function may prevent diet-induced obesity. Obesity is a global health issue and feeding behavior is strongly influenced by the sense of smell. Human studies indicate that individuals with obesity have reduced odorant detection and modify consumption following exposure to energy-rich, appetitive food odors. For this reason, it is critical to investigate the functional connection between olfaction and metabolism, particularly in obese states.


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 = $47,613 )
2026	2026	FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY	874 TRADITIONS WAY	TALLAHASSEE	FL	32306	LEON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	4/1/2026	NEW	$47,613
														Subtotal = $47,613

Grand Total All Awards = $47,613

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

From scent to sustenance: Investigating the connection between the olfactory bulb and hypothalamic function

Award Number: F31DC023137

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: 09/30/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/29/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer