Experimental study of insect olfaction

We are interested in the study of information coding and processing in the brain. The olfactory system is an excellent and relatively simple model. There are a huge amount of data available concerning insect olfaction (Laurent 1996; Laurent, Wehr et al. 1996; Laurent, Stopfer et al. 2001; Rabinovich, Volkovskii et al. 2001; Laurent 2002; Roman, Truchet et al. 2004; de Souza and Antunes 2007).

This project resulted in two BSc. thesis prepared by Aliz Kulics PDF and Gergo Gabor Nagy PDF . These was based mostly on literature review, histology and setting up the electrophysiological recording system. Beside electrophysiology, we would like to do calcium imaging.

Locust olfactory system

de Souza, F. M. S. and G. Antunes (2007). "Biophysics of olfaction." Reports On Progress In Physics 70(3): 451-491.

Laurent, G. (1996). "Dynamical representation of odors by oscillating and evolving neural assemblies." Trends in Neurosciences 19(11): 489-496.

Laurent, G. (2002). "Olfactory network dynamics and the coding of multidimensional signals." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 3(11): 884-895.

Laurent, G., M. Stopfer, et al. (2001). "Odor encoding as an active, dynamical process: Experiments, computation, and theory." Annual Review of Neuroscience 24: 263-297.

Laurent, G., M. Wehr, et al. (1996). "Dynamic encoding of odors with oscillating neuronal assemblies in the locust brain." Biological Bulletin 191(1): 70-75.

Rabinovich, M., A. Volkovskii, et al. (2001). "Dynamical encoding by networks of competing neuron groups: Winnerless competition." Physical Review Letters 8706(6): 4.

Roman, F. S., B. Truchet, et al. (2004). "Olfactory associative discrimination: A model for studying modifications of synaptic efficacy in neuronal networks supporting long-term memory." Reviews in the Neurosciences 15(1): 1-17.