Hiroyuki Manabe Department of Neurophysiology, Nara medical University School of Medicine

Olfactory system associates odor information with a variety of value information. However, the neural mechanisms remain unclear. Previously, we discovered that the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract (NLOT), a part of the olfactory cortex, associates the reward with the odor information associated with the reward. Based on these results, we hypothesize that the NLOT associates various value information with odor information. In addition, since the NLOT outputs to various value circuits, we hypothesize that the NLOT can represent multidimensional value information that generates odor textures by adjusting the distribution of information to each value circuit. This study will test these hypotheses by combining electrophysiological, optogenetic and behavioral analysis methods. Based on this research, we would like to clarify the basic rules of the neural circuit mechanism that adds value information to sensory information in a multidimensional manner, and contribute to the development of this research field, which aims to elucidate the neural circuit that generates sitsukan.