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Precise Holographic Manipulation of Olfactory Circuits Reveals Coding Features Determining Perceptual Detection
Jonathan V Gill1, Gilad M Lerman2, Hetince Zhao3
1Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Neuron
|August 26, 2020
Summary
Mice can detect odors by sensing synchronous neural activity in the olfactory bulb. This detection relies on the timing of neuron activation (synchrony), not its timing relative to inhalation (latency).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Systems
- Olfactory Processing
Background:
- Sensory systems encode external stimuli as neural spike trains.
- The olfactory bulb processes odor information through neural firing patterns, including neuronal activation, synchrony, and latency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate which features of neural spiking activity in the mouse olfactory bulb guide odor detection.
- To determine the relative importance of firing rate, synchrony, and latency in olfactory perception.
Main Methods:
- Used holographic two-photon optogenetics for precise stimulation of olfactory bulb neurons.
- Stimulated single neurons and small neuronal ensembles with single-action-potential resolution.
- Tested mouse behavioral sensitivity to perturbations in neural activation rate, synchrony, and latency.
Main Results:
- Mice detected single action potentials evoked synchronously across fewer than 20 olfactory bulb neurons.
- Odor detection sensitivity was highly dependent on the synchrony of neuronal activation.
- Detection was not significantly affected by the latency of neuronal activation relative to inhalation.
Conclusions:
- Neural synchrony, not latency, is a critical factor in olfactory perception.
- The olfactory system can detect behaviorally relevant stimuli based on precise, synchronous neural firing patterns.
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