Presentation Details
| Examining the Neural Representations Underlying Odor-Guided Behavior in Humans Jared Newell, Liam McMahon, Xiaolin Qiao, James D Howard. Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA |
Abstract
The process of generating adaptive behavior from olfactory sensory input involves a range of brain regions, including the primary olfactory cortex (PCX), ventral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and mediodorsal thalamus (MDT). Recent animal studies demonstrate that MDT both encodes information about specific odorants, and mediates connectivity with sensory and prefrontal cortices to guide behavior. However, the mechanisms by which these regions guide odor-guided behavior in humans remain unclear. Here we designed an experiment in which human participants perform an odor-guided learning task while undergoing ultra-high field fMRI. On each trial of the task, participants receive one of three distinct odors, and then make one of two possible responses to receive a monetary reward. Critically, in some trial blocks the rewarded response is the same regardless of odor identity, and in other blocks identity determines the correct response. This experimental design allows us to test the primary hypothesis that ensemble MDT activity preferentially encodes information about odor identity when identity is relevant for making a decision. We further hypothesize that activity in the PCX primarily represents odor identity, while patterns of PFC activity reflect decision outcome. Pilot behavioral results (n=15) demonstrate that participants make highly accurate choices regardless of block type, and that residual differences in odor pleasantness and intensity do not affect performance. Analysis of our collected fMRI data employs multivariate pattern-based techniques to characterize how the balance of olfactory sensory and behavioral task variables are represented in olfactory sensory cortex, MDT, and prefrontal cortex to support learning.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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