I am using behavioral studies to examine the effects of context associations and the route of olfactory information (i.e. orthonasal and retronasal) on olfactory learning. I am also using electrophysiological recordings in the olfactory system to explore the underlying neural representations of olfactory hedonics.

I'm interested in computational studies exploring 1) how the Olfactory Bulb network processes sensory information using sensory input and cortical feedback, and the behavioral significance of such processing; 2) how to connect single neuron computation with neural ensemble activities and representations such as neural oscillations and olfactory maps. I am also interested in cross-domain comparisons between olfaction and other sensory domains and the relationship betweenolfaction and language.

I have been working on understanding the mechanism of cortical transitions in oscillation type in the olfactory system using computational models, pharmacology, and high-density recording of olfactory bulb GABAergic interneurons during odor sampling.

I am studying the mechanisms of neural oscillations and the role these synchronized ensembles play in sensory systems. In particular, I test how feedback from the piriform cortex during odor sampling modulates bulbar oscillations and the contribution of this oscillatory activity to odor perception. I use optogenetic techniques to perturb this system while recordings LFPs from freely moving animals during odor-cued behavioral tasks.

I am interested in the role of coherent oscillations in spatial navigation and learning. Specifically, I am investigating changes in coherence between LFPs and respiratory activity in sensory systems and the hippocampus dependent on the most salient modality of spatial cues (e.g., olfactory, visual). A major goal of my research is to distinguish respiratory from theta oscillations which overlap in frequency in rodents (2-12 Hz) and further characterize their potentially distinct roles in spatial processing and cognition at large.

I am studying how activity in the piriform cortex controls excitability of olfactory bulb granule cells and their involvement in gating olfactory system beta oscillations.