Respiration Coordinates the Logic of Odor Coding in the Piriform Cortex

Host

Eugenia Chiappe, PhD, Sensorimotor Integration Lab

Venue

Seminar room

Abstract

The piriform cortex (PCx) transforms input from the olfactory bulb (OB) into representations of odor identity, but the underlying logic of cortical coding has remained elusive. We reveal that PCx neurons are tuned to specific phases of respiration, implementing a phase-to-rate transformation—a computation conserved across sensory systems. By probing this mechanism through odor-evoked and optogenetic inputs, we uncover how the PCx stabilizes temporal input into reliable odor codes. These findings illuminate the mechanistic basis of phase-locked coding and its broader role in cortical sensory processing.

Biography

Kevin Franks was born in South Africa in the 1970s, moved to Canada in his teens, and then to California for graduate school. He is not, however, a fascist or a billionaire. He earned his Ph.D. at UCSD with Terry Sejnowski, focusing on simulations of synaptic transmission. In his postdoc work, first with Jeffry Isaacson at UCSD, and then with Richard Axel and Steve Siegelbam at Columbia, he studied the synaptic organization of the piriform cortex. This work provided the foundation for his current research into the mechanisms underlying cortical coding. In 2013, he established his lab at Duke University, where he is now an Associate Professor. His research uses the mouse olfactory system to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying sensory perception and cortical computation.

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About CR Colloquia Series

Champalimaud Research (CR) Colloquia Series is a seminar programme organised by the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown to promote the discussion about the most interesting and significant questions in neuroscience and physiology & cancer with appointed speakers by the CR Community.