Title: Understanding Olfactory Neural Circuits: From Molecular Signature to Function

Speaker: Zhonghua Lu, Ph.D. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, USA

Introduction:

Dr. Zhonghua Lu's research focuses on understanding the basic principles of the development, molecularsignature, and functionality of neural circuits and how these mechanisms can help develop noveltherapies for a variety of neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental diseases, including autismspectrum disorders, intellectual disability, and stress disorders.

Time: January 20 2016 (Wed) 13:00-14:00

Venue: Room 348, Wangkezhen Building， Peking University

Host: Prof. Yulong Li 

Email: [email protected]

Abstract:

Survival and reproduction of animal species heavily rely on innate responses towards external stimuli. In rodents, detection of pheromones or predator odors by the olfactory system can drastically alter physiological states and behaviors, suggesting that there are specific olfactory receptors (ORs) for sensing these chemical cues and that information from these ORs is impinged on brain functional centers through hard-wired neural circuits. However, no comprehensive approach has been available to identify these receptors and the anatomical signatures of these stereotyped circuits are largely unknown.

Here, through retrograde circuit tracing and receptor identification from single glomeruli retrieved by Laser Capture Microdissection, we isolated 19 receptors that may convey innate olfactory information to Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, the master regulator of reproductive hormones. Furthermore, combining circuit tracing and chemogenetic manipulation, we show that a specific area of the olfactory cortex, the amygdalo-piriform transition area (AmPir), plays an essential role in mediating stress hormone responses to predator odors.