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Learned olfactory preferences and estradiol

Award Number: F32DC018452
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: 02/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/16/2022

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Learned olfactory preferences and estradiol - Project Summary The brain processes sensory information from the environment which, in turn, guides behavior. In olfaction, the decision to approach or avoid a stimulus is largely informed by correct assignment of an odor’s valence, or hedonic value. Furthermore, there are pronounced sex differences in odor valence that appear to be regulated by gonadal hormones, particularly estrogen. This has been well-characterized in studies involving ethologically relevant odors such as those that convey sociosexual information. However, there is also evidence that estrogen’s effects on olfaction are not limited to ethologically relevant odors and, in fact, generalize to odors that do not convey sociosexual information. It is unknown how the sexually differentiated brain represents odor valence and how estrogen impacts the formation of odor preferences. Odor valence processing occurs across olfactory structures. Among these, the olfactory tubercle (OT) stands out as being particularly important for direct control of odor-guided behavior due to its position within the ventral striatum, which receives modulatory dopaminergic input from the midbrain that informs decision-making. Work from our lab has demonstrated that the OT flexibly represents the associative valence of odors. Given the abundant expression of estrogen receptors in the ventral striatum, including the OT, and the pronounced responsivity of other ventral striatal structures to estrogen, this proposal seeks to identify the sex-dependent contributions of estrogen in the OT’s representation of odor valence, and in turn, its effects on odor preference. The proposed work will use behavior, in vivo electrophysiology, and region-specific pharmacology to test the hypothesis that estrogen enhances the representation of learned odor valence in the OT and contributes to learned odor preference. In Aim 1, I will demonstrate the sex-specific impact of local estrogen on the representation of odor valence in the OT. In Aim 2, I will determine the contribution of brain-derived estrogen to the expression of learned odor preferences. The findings from this work will ultimately reveal novel insights into the ways in which estrogen modulates olfaction and specifically, odor valence.


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: 2023 ( Subtotal = -$30,061 )
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	11/15/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$22,253
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	3	7/21/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$7,808
														Subtotal = -$30,061

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $71,734 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	3	4/25/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,272
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	1/24/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$70,458
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	3	5/20/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$4
														Subtotal = $71,734

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $68,562 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	2/2/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,116
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	1/29/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$67,446
														Subtotal = $68,562

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $65,310 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	1	12/20/2019	NEW	$0
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	1	2/24/2020	NEW	$3,700
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	12/20/2019	NEW	$61,610
														Subtotal = $65,310

Grand Total All Awards = $175,545

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Learned olfactory preferences and estradiol

Award Number: F32DC018452

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: 02/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/16/2022

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