Olfactory Epithelium Page

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*New publication in Science!*

In collaboration with Stuart Firestein and  PhD student Lu Xu, we have been applying SCAPE microscopy to imaging the intact olfactory epithelium. By expressing the fluorescent calcium indicator GCaMP in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), we are able to optically measure single-cell responses of many (>1,000's) of OSNs  to different combinations of odors. This high-throughput approach allowed us to investigate the way in which these neurons encode information about single odors, and how their responses change when presented with multiple odors at the same time. We found that up to 38% of responding cells, additional odors either suppressed, or enhanced the odor response. This result suggests that the signals being sent to the brain from the nose are not providing a simple, linear representation of the odors present. This effect may explain why certain odors can mask or overwhelm other odors, while the additional information encoded by the enhancement and suppression may increase our olfactory system's dynamic range to be able to encode the complex range of odors that we experience in daily life.