# Temporal Integration of Olfactory and Wind Information in Plume Tracking Insects

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO · 2020 · $211,918

## Abstract

A major goal in modern science is to understand how brains function. Natural search behavior exemplifies this process, and 
thus serves as an excellent case study for discovering how brains operate. A classic example of natural search is chemical plume 
tracking, which is exhibited by animals ranging in scale from sperm, to sperm whales, allowing for comparative studies to discover 
general principles. The fundamental challenge organisms and researchers alike must overcome, is that natural plume dynamics 
are both highly complex, and difficult to observe. The complexity arises from turbulence in the wind, which breaks plumes into 
discrete packets interspersed with clean air. This structure results in an intermittent experience for the organisms, and the 
instantaneous olfactory experience at any given moment does not provide direct information about the location of the odor 
source. Instead, to make decisions, plume tracking animals must (a) integrate information across time and (b) across sensory 
modalities. To overcome the obstacles that have historically hampered efforts to uncover the detailed behavioral and neural 
mechanisms that underlie this process, we have developed a novel approach for spatially controlling the remote activation of 
olfactory receptor neurons to create a virtual odor plume that is independent of the wind. We will use this new approach to 
determine the behavioral mechanisms of how flies temporally integrate information from olfactory stimuli, and wind stimuli, 
independent of one another. Future work will: (1) investigate how wind and odor cues are integrated together, in particular when 
wind changes direction; (2) discover how flies respond to heterogeneous mixtures of odors, as would be found downstream of 
groups of physical odor sources. Once the behavior is characterized, we will begin pursuing a circuit level understanding of 
wind-olfactory sensory integration. Our experiments will provide the necessary data to build a deeper theoretical understanding 
of how organisms integrate sensory information in general. Beyond broadening our understanding of how brains function, our 
insights may inspire new strategies for controlling agricultural pests and human parasites such as mosquitoes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10187697
- **Project number:** 5P20GM103650-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO
- **Principal Investigator:** Floris Van Breugel
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $211,918
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10187697

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10187697, Temporal Integration of Olfactory and Wind Information in Plume Tracking Insects (5P20GM103650-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10187697. Licensed CC0.

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