Objective
In its natural environment, any behaving animal is constantly bombarded with sensory information that must be parsed quickly by the animal to act appropriately. Yet, the nervous system is limited in the amount of information it can handle. Thus, to avoid sensory overload, specific aspects of these information streams have to be actively attended to by the animal. Such focusing is called active sensing and is a fundamental operational mode of many sensory systems. One ethologically important model for active sensing that has received increasing attention is odor-guided navigation in rodents. During odor-trail tracking, sniffing rates rise up to four times above the normal respiration frequency and each sniff selectively determines which part of the external world is sampled. Yet, an algorithmic understanding of their search strategy as well as its neuronal basis is lacking. My aims are to understand the neural representation of odors during this natural behavior and to reveal the neuronal basis of odor tracking behavior by following a multidisciplinary research program. I will develop an experimental setup that can flexibly deliver tightly controlled odor trails on a custom-build treadmill. By generating specifically tailored odor stimuli, I will be able to probe odor-guided navigation in real time and thus uncover the tracking algorithm. Moreover, I will record neuronal population activity from the early olfactory areas in mice that are following the trail. Such population activity in behaving animals can now be measured because of recent developments in miniature microscopes and genetically encoded calcium probes. I will show which aspects of the stimulus and behavioral variables are encoded by applying feature selection methods. Furthermore, by linking the behavioral decisions an animal takes during tracking to the recorded population response I will reveal which aspects of neuronal activity contribute to the tracking behavior in a mechanistic way.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IOF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
72074 Tuebingen
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.