Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex
Knowing which elements in the environment are associated with various opportunities and dangers is advantageous. A major role of mammalian sensory systems is to provide information about the identity of such elements which can then be used for adaptive action planning by the animal. Identity-tuned s...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2022.920334/full |
| _version_ | 1811236228503175168 |
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| author | Tor Stensola Hanne Stensola |
| author_facet | Tor Stensola Hanne Stensola |
| author_sort | Tor Stensola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Knowing which elements in the environment are associated with various opportunities and dangers is advantageous. A major role of mammalian sensory systems is to provide information about the identity of such elements which can then be used for adaptive action planning by the animal. Identity-tuned sensory representations are categorical, invariant to nuances in the sensory stream and depend on associative learning. Although categorical representations are well documented across several sensory modalities, these tend to situate synaptically far from the sensory organs which reduces experimenter control over input-output transformations. The formation of such representations is a fundamental neural computation that remains poorly understood. Odor representations in the primary olfactory cortex have several characteristics that qualify them as categorical and identity-tuned, situated only two synapses away from the sensory epithelium. The formation of categorical representations is likely critically dependent on—and dynamically controlled by—recurrent circuitry within the primary olfactory cortex itself. Experiments suggest that the concerted activity of several neuromodulatory systems plays a decisive role in shaping categorical learning through complex interactions with recurrent activity and plasticity in primary olfactory cortex circuits. In this perspective we discuss missing pieces of the categorical learning puzzle, and why several features of olfaction make it an attractive model system for this challenge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:05:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13c11c7002ca4ae09ebe96411e89c91b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:05:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-13c11c7002ca4ae09ebe96411e89c91b2022-12-22T03:33:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience1662-51022022-06-011610.3389/fncel.2022.920334920334Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory CortexTor StensolaHanne StensolaKnowing which elements in the environment are associated with various opportunities and dangers is advantageous. A major role of mammalian sensory systems is to provide information about the identity of such elements which can then be used for adaptive action planning by the animal. Identity-tuned sensory representations are categorical, invariant to nuances in the sensory stream and depend on associative learning. Although categorical representations are well documented across several sensory modalities, these tend to situate synaptically far from the sensory organs which reduces experimenter control over input-output transformations. The formation of such representations is a fundamental neural computation that remains poorly understood. Odor representations in the primary olfactory cortex have several characteristics that qualify them as categorical and identity-tuned, situated only two synapses away from the sensory epithelium. The formation of categorical representations is likely critically dependent on—and dynamically controlled by—recurrent circuitry within the primary olfactory cortex itself. Experiments suggest that the concerted activity of several neuromodulatory systems plays a decisive role in shaping categorical learning through complex interactions with recurrent activity and plasticity in primary olfactory cortex circuits. In this perspective we discuss missing pieces of the categorical learning puzzle, and why several features of olfaction make it an attractive model system for this challenge.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2022.920334/fullolfactionnoveltymodulatory systemscortical dynamicscategorical learning |
| spellingShingle | Tor Stensola Hanne Stensola Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience olfaction novelty modulatory systems cortical dynamics categorical learning |
| title | Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex |
| title_full | Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex |
| title_short | Understanding Categorical Learning in Neural Circuits Through the Primary Olfactory Cortex |
| title_sort | understanding categorical learning in neural circuits through the primary olfactory cortex |
| topic | olfaction novelty modulatory systems cortical dynamics categorical learning |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2022.920334/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT torstensola understandingcategoricallearninginneuralcircuitsthroughtheprimaryolfactorycortex AT hannestensola understandingcategoricallearninginneuralcircuitsthroughtheprimaryolfactorycortex |