OPTOGENETIC STIMULATION OF OLFACTORY CORTEX TO MIMIC ODORS
We used Mightex Polygon to mimic “odors” by optogenetically activating spatio-temporal patterns in the early olfactory system of the mouse. Presentation of even monomolecular odorants already results in complex patterns of neural activity with unique but rigid spatiotemporal properties.
The Mightex Polygon gives us full parametric control over both spatial and temporal properties of the optogenetic “odors” by precisely activating light spots over the dorsal olfactory bulb.
Video 1. An example optogenetic “odor” composed of six 120 um square spots of 80 ms and an inter-spot interval of 40 ms aligned to the respiration cycle of the animal.
We combined this causal manipulation with multi-unit electrophysiological recordings in the cortex and behavior to establish which features of “odor” driven neural responses are read-out in downstream circuits and eventually guide perception (Chong, Moroni et al. Science 2020; Herrero-Vidal et al. Cosyne 2021).
Author: Pedro Herrero- Vidal
Bio: Pedro is a computational neuroscience PhD student at New York University. He is co-supervised by Dr. Dima Rinberg and Dr. Cristina Savin.