Modulation of odour-entrained ensembles by phasic dopamine in the olfactory striatum (C04)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 243553651

Olfactory information are decoded in hierarchically organized olfactory brain areas interconnected through feedforward projections and feedback loops. While odor encoding in neuronal ensembles is well established, the coding processes underlying the transformation of the ensemble code among different olfactory circuits are unknown. In the first funding period, we had examined how odor encoding is modified locally in ventral striatum through phasic dopamine. We now propose to conceptually expand this work and include behavior and cortico-striatal interactions to gain insights how neuronal codes are transformed in hierarchical distributed networks.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1134: Functional ensembles: cellular components, patterned activity and plasticity of co-active neurons in local networks
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Co-Applicant Institution: Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit (ZI)
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Kelsch