Objective
In insects the axons of primary olfactory receptor neurons terminate in specific glomeruli in the antennal lobe. Second order neurons relay this information to two higher olfactory centres, the mushroom body and the lateral horn, the special focus of this proposal. Functional inactivation and ablation of the mushroom body suggest that it is specific to olfactory learning, while the lateral horn is sufficient for more basic olfactory responses, including those which can be characterised as innate. Despite this importance, there is almost no structural and functional information on the third order neurons of the lateral horn. My research programme aims to generate a complete wiring diagram of the relevant neural circuits, characterise the receptive fields of these neurons and determine the cellular and circuit basis of the processing of olfactory information in this system. These scientific goals depend on a cross-disciplinary combination of molecular genetic techniques to label and stimulate identified neurons in the olfactory pathway, in vivo neurophysiology, optical stimulation and large-scale electron microscopy. One specific model system that I will use to address general questions of olfactory perception will be the study of sex-pheromone processing, where I have obtained new anatomical data that identify likely components of the pathway that turns smell into sex-specific behaviour. All these experiments will help us to understand how identified neurons integrate and transform specific odour information–the neural basis of olfactory perception. I hypothesise that by studying a discrete circuit down to the level of each identified neuron, I can new obtain new insights into information processing that will be of general relevance to neurobiology.
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 physical sciences optics microscopy electron microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science data processing
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
ERC-2007-StG
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.
Host institution
W1B 1AL LONDON
United Kingdom
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.