Generation and manipulation of combinatorial connectivity for olfactory perception

Animals navigate complex and changing environments by combining instinct with memories of past experiences. The structures of neural circuits that represent sensory information for innate and learned interpretation are different from one another, with innate interpretations generated by circuits with predictable wiring, and flexible learned interpretations generated by circuits with unpredictable wiring. I will present the Clowney lab's progress in interrogating how neurons of the insect olfactory learning center acquire sparse and unpredictable olfactory inputs during development.