An In Vitro Olfactory System
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Christopher Platt', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Among the central problems in studies of the sense of smell is                  to discover the ways in which electrical activity in neurons in                 receptor cells is processed into a form in which odors can be                   identified and their intensity recognized.  The investigator has                developed a system in which olfactory neurons from mice can be                  grown in culture along with olfactory bulbs (the part of the                    brain with which they connect) on plates from which it is                       possible to record from as many as 64 cells simultaneously.  His                preliminary work shows that the receptor neurons spontaneously                  generate action potentials in such cultures.                                                                                                                    In this project he will use odorants to stimulate the receptor                  cells while recording from those cells and cells of                             the bulb, to learn more of the nature of the transmittal of                     information at this level.  He will attempt to determine the                    neurotransmitters  involved by using pharmacological agents, and                will use electrical as well as chemical stimulation of the                      receptor cells in order to sort out effects the chemicals might                 have on cells of the olfactory bulb.  In addition, he will                      supplement the functional studies with anatomical studies at the                levels of light and electron microscopy, thus permitting                        structural connections to be correlated with functional behavior.                                                                                               In addition to possibly adding a powerful new tool to those                     available for learning how the sense of smell works, this project               is expected to provide further data on how nerve networks receive               and process information, potentially contributing to the                        development of better man-made systems for processing                           information.
{'FirstName': 'Stephen', 'LastName': 'Fracek', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'P', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': 'Jr.', 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Stephen P Fracek', 'EmailAddress': 'fracek@Asonne.cnns.unt.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000206764', 'StartDate': '06/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of North Texas', 'CityName': 'DENTON', 'ZipCode': '762051132', 'PhoneNumber': '9405653940', 'StreetAddress': '1112 DALLAS DR STE 4000', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Texas', 'StateCode': 'TX', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '13', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'TX13', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'G47WN1XZNWX9', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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[{'Code': '118500', 'Text': 'SENSORY SYSTEMS'}, {'Code': '912000', 'Text': 'CROSS-DIRECTORATE PROGRAMS'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8719319.xml'}