Olfactory Coding in Flies

Sean Luo

How does the nervous system categorize thousands of distinct odors?  In the
adult Drosophila, odor molecules bind to the olfactory receptors on the
first order sensory neurons.  The sensory neurons expressing the same
olfactory receptor protein converge onto a single glomerulus in the antennal
lobe and target a few excitatory projection neurons.  Here we first present
the latest calcium imaging and electrophysiological data and summarize the
general features of the olfactory code.  We then describe a simple
feedforward model that examines olfactory learning and coding.  In
particular, we investigate the role of temporally synchronous spikes on
olfactory learning and odor discrimination.