How is valence coded in the olfactory system? The neural mechanisms behind why we like or dislike a smell.

One of the primary functions of olfaction is to assess whether a smell is pleasant or unpleasant (i.e., odor valence). This enables us to make crucial decisions about approaching or avoiding the odor (e.g., avoiding rotten food). Due to limitations in non-invasive brain imaging techniques, next to nothing is known about how the core and initial olfactory system —from the peripheral to the primary olfactory cortex — simultaneously encode this fundamental odor precept in humans.

In this project, we will use new techniques that enable us to investigate the core olfactory system simultaneously, from the olfactory epithelium (EPT) to the olfactory bulb (OB), and the olfactory cortex (piriform cortex, PC). Specifically, we will determine how each node codes odor valence and how this information is communicated between each node to create the final odor valence percept.

Exploring the mechanisms of odor valence is necessary to understand the most fundamental principle of human olfaction. Today, we have far more knowledge about how perception works in vision and hearing. This project aims to establish a similar level of knowledge for olfaction.