Neurons in the neocortex exhibit spontaneous spiking activity in the absence of external
stimuli, but the origin and functions of this activity remain uncertain. Here, we show that …

Highlights•Odor information is encoded in the distributed activity of piriform cortex
neurons.•Piriform uses complementary coding strategies to represent odor identity and …

Odor coding in mammals is widely believed to involve synchronized gamma frequency (30–
70 Hz) oscillations in the first processing structure, the olfactory bulb. How such inputs are …

The mammalian piriform cortex receives direct synaptic input from the olfactory bulb and is
likely the locus for the formation of odor percept. It remains unclear how individual cortical …

Despite a remarkably precise spatial representation of odorant stimuli in the early stages of
olfactory processing, the projections to the olfactory (piriform) cortex are more diffuse and …

In primary sensory cortices, there are two main sources of excitation: afferent sensory input
relayed from the periphery and recurrent intracortical input. Untangling the functional roles of …

The properties of cortical circuits underlying central representations of sensory stimuli are
poorly understood. Here we use in vivo cell-attached and whole-cell voltage-clamp …

The piriform cortex (PCx) receives direct input from the olfactory bulb (OB) and is the brain's
main station for odor recognition and memory. The transformation of the odor code from OB …

The ability to represent both stimulus identity and intensity is fundamental for perception.
Using large-scale population recordings in awake mice, we find distinct coding strategies …

Sensory systems must represent stimuli in manners dependent upon a wealth of factors,
including stimulus intensity and duration. One way the brain might handle these complex …