[Seminar] Cortical circuits for odor coding by Dr. Kevin Franks

Abstract:

 Aromas, like the smell of coffee or wine, are typically composed of dozens of different volatile molecules. These are detected in the nose and initially encoded in the olfactory bulb as combinations of neurons that each respond to a specific molecular feature of the odorant stimulus. However, odors are typically experienced as singular or gestalt percepts, requiring that this elemental odor code be integrated to form synthetic odor representations: this integration is thought to occur in piriform cortex. We investigate how olfactory information is transformed from bulb to cortex to form representations of odor identity and odor intensity. We reveal specific roles for different parts of the cortical circuit in implementing this transformation.

Bio:

Dr. Kevin Franks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University (United States). Dr. Franks received his Ph.D. at UC San Diego, working with Terrence Sejnowski. He did postdoctoral work in the laboratories of Jeffy Isaacson, also at UC San Diego, and then with Richard Axel at Columbia University. He moved to Duke in 2013.