Manipulating synthetic optogenetic odors reveals the coding logic of olfactory perception

Abstract

Ensemble activity and perception The mechanisms by which sensory percepts are encoded in neural ensembles are still incompletely understood. Chong et al. used single-spot optogenetic stimulation to control neuronal activity in mouse olfactory glomeruli in space and time. Animals were trained to recognize a learned activity pattern that was likely perceived as a specific odor. The authors then systematically varied the activity patterns by changing either the activated glomeruli or the timing between activation of glomeruli to evaluate their impact on odor recognition. Glomeruli that were activated early during the synthetic odor contributed more to odor recognition than glomeruli that were subsequently activated. This approach allows neuroscience to explain how features combine in complex patterns to generate perception. Science , this issue p. eaba2357