Alan Gelperin
Member

Ph.D.
(Biology; University of Pennsylvania)

I study odor information processing and memory storage using biological, computational and electronic approaches. My lab studies biological olfaction using mammalian and molluscan model systems whose central odor processing networks reliably compute complex predictive relationships between odor and taste stimuli. We record in vivo from mitral cells in mouse olfactory bulb during odor discrimination and odor learning to identify learning-induced alterations in mitral cell activity. In vitro studies of a slice preparation of the olfactory bulb allow us to test biophysical models of mitral cell plasticity. Patch and optical recording methods are utilized to understand the role of oscillatory dynamics and neurogenesis in odor recognition and memory storage. Computational methods generate biophysically-based network models of the olfactory system to identify general design principles shared by mollusks and mammals. With collaborators in electronic olfaction my lab works on developing new sensor arrays, sensor circuits and algorithms to enable an autonomous robot fitted with an electronic nose to localize odor sources.