Focus. Understanding how a nervous system produces behavior is one of the great challenges of neuroscience. A significant part of this challenge is to study the various complexities that affect information flow through a neural circuit. One level of complexity relates to how neuromodulators convey information about an animal’s internal state (e.g., hunger) to affect information flow through a neural circuit to shape behavior. Understanding the basic principles of this complexity is the focus of research in the Mathew Lab.

Goal. The goal of the research in the Mathew lab is to define elements of the cellular and molecular logic by which hunger states affect information flow in the Drosophila larval olfactory circuit to shape the larva’s behavior.  

Significance. This research is of great importance to humans as a subject of both basic and translational science. From a basic science point of view, clarifying the mechanisms by which an animal’s hunger shapes its behavior is vital if we are to understand how flexibility and adaptability are built into a neural circuit. Ultimately, understanding such mechanisms is fundamental for decoding how neural circuits support animal cognition and behavior. From a translational science point of view, since this research examines how the modulation of an insect’s olfactory circuit affects its navigational decisions, it could inspire new strategies to help manage insect vectors of disease. This is significant because many insect pests that transmit diseases to millions of people each year navigate toward their human hosts by primarily relying on their olfactory senses. 

Select Publications

• Odell S, Zito N, Clark D, and Mathew D. “Stability of olfactory behavior syndromes in the Drosophila larva,” (2023) Scientific Reports 13: 2398.
• Odell SR, Clark D, Zito N, Jain R, Gong H, Warnock K, Carrion-Lopez R, Maixner C, Prieto-Godino L, Mathew D. “Internal state affects local neuron function in an early processing center to shape olfactory behavior in Drosophila larvae,” (2022) Scientific Reports 12 (1): 15767.
• Mathew D. Loss of smell in COVID-19 patients: Lessons and opportunities (2020) Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 14:598465
• Slankster E, Kollala S, Baria D, Dailey-Krempel B, Jain R, Odell SR and Mathew D.Mechanism underlying starvation-dependent modulation of olfactory behavior in Drosophila (2020) Scientific Reports 10(1):3119.
• Young BA, Escanlon J, and Mathew D.Odors: from chemical structures to gaseous plumes. (2020) Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 111: 19-29
• Slankster E, Odell SR, Mathew D Strength in diversity: functional diversity among olfactory neurons of the same type. Journal of bioenergetics and biomembranes 51(1):65-75. (2019)
• Clark DA, Odell SR, Armstrong JM, Turcotte M, Kohler D, Mathis A, Schmidt DR, Mathew D. Behavior responses to chemical and optogenetic stimuli in Drosophila Larvae. (2018) Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience 12:324.