# Neural mechanisms of multisensory auditory-olfactory integration in the auditory cortex

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $75,890

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Living organisms interact with complex environments that are inherently multisensory. Within these
environments, the brain must integrate information from multiple sensory modalities, including the auditory and
olfactory systems, for perception and behavior. However, despite the ubiquity and importance of multisensory
integration, there is a critical gap in our understanding of how the brain integrates auditory and olfactory stimuli.
This proposal will fill this knowledge gap by revealing the mechanisms underlying auditory-olfactory integration
in the auditory cortex. Previous studies have reported that neurons in the auditory cortex project to the olfactory
(piriform) cortex; however, preliminary results in this proposal identify a novel pathway in which the piriform cortex
directly projects to the auditory cortex. These experiments will test the hypothesis that the cross-modal
integration of olfactory sensory information with auditory information is facilitated by neuronal connections from
the piriform cortex to the auditory cortex. To this end, these experiments will use innovative approaches to
characterize and interrogate newly discovered brain circuitry. Specifically, cutting-edge intersectional viral tracing
strategies will label projections from the piriform cortex to auditory cortex, and identify auditory cortical neurons
in an auditory-olfactory feedback loop. To functionally interrogate this circuitry, we will develop a state-of-the-art
experimental system for delivering combinations of auditory and olfactory stimuli. Using in vivo electrophysiology
and optogenetics we will test whether and how piriform-to-auditory cortex projections mediate cross-modal
auditory-olfactory integration. This work, part of a collaborative effort by the Geffen and Gottfried laboratories,
will lay the groundwork for a new frontier in multisensory neuroscience research, and provide an ideal
postdoctoral training environment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10316690
- **Project number:** 1F32MH127788-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Nathan Vogler
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $75,890
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10316690

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10316690, Neural mechanisms of multisensory auditory-olfactory integration in the auditory cortex (1F32MH127788-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10316690. Licensed CC0.

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