We study how the brain processes sensory information and how that processing is shaped by experience and internal state. Our work spans olfactory circuit function and learning, and the modulation of neural circuits by metabolic signals, with the olfactory bulb sitting at the intersection of both.
Olfactory Circuits and Learning
The olfactory bulb is the brain’s first relay for smell, but it is far from a passive relay station. We study how experience reshapes circuit function within the olfactory bulb, asking how learning induces changes in the tuning of individual neurons, how lateral inhibition sculpts odour representations, and how circuit-level changes give rise to context-dependent learning. By understanding how plasticity operates at this early stage of sensory processing, we aim to reveal general principles of how experience rewires neural circuits.
Metabolic Modulation of Neural Circuits
Metabolic signals do more than regulate energy balance; they act directly on neural circuits to shape how the brain processes information. We investigate how insulin modulates neural activity in the olfactory bulb and in the basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei (BFCN), a region critical for arousal, attention, and memory. By examining insulin’s effects across different cell types in both systems, we aim to understand how metabolic state influences sensory processing and cognition more broadly.
Johnston Lab 