Research
Thrusts
..... Nanostructures
..... Biomimetics
..... Bio-Nano
Barry Ache - Sense organs provide a crucial link between the environment and the behavior of animals. As a sensory physiologist, I am interested in the neural organization of the sense of smell and, ultimately, how odors regulate behavior. Odors are complex blends of molecules that are recognized by the pattern of electrical activity each blend generates across ensembles of neurons in the CNS. We are attempting to elucidate the neural processes that shape these patterns and thereby produce the code for odor quality. We use marine crustaceans, such as the Caribbean spiny lobster, as animal models, which we study with a combination of electrophysiological, pharmacological, biochemical and molecular approaches.
We are interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of olfactory transduction. In particular, we are studying how dual, inositol phosphate and cyclic nucleotide transduction pathways allow olfactory receptor cells to integrate excitatory and inhibitory input and thereby expand the range of coding in the system. These studies have revealed novel inositol phosphate and cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels in the plasma membrane of lobster olfactory receptor cells that are potentially of broad biological significance.
We also are interested in the pattern of connectivity between receptor cells and their target neurons in the CNS and how synaptic interactions among olfactory interneurons contribute to pattern formation. In particular, we are studying how information is processed in olfactory glomeruli, the repetitive clusters of nerve endings that characterize the first synaptic level of the olfactory pathway in most animals. Growing evidence that the fundamental organization of the olfactory pathway has been conserved in evolution strengthens our resolve that our findings have general significance to understanding how we smell.