Research laboratories

The NBO unit studies the neurobiological bases of odour perception in mammals and the modulations occurring in response to variations in the animal's internal or external environment. We use an integrative approach, ranging from molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the reception of the odorous signal and its treatment, to its behavioural result, on different rodent models.
NBO explores the peripheral mechanisms of odorant detection by olfactory receptors in the olfactory mucosa, and in the framework of ectopic expressions, and seeks to identify the molecular actors involved in the transduction of the olfactory message. The expression of olfactory receptors in heterologous systems aims to develop biosensors for different applications, which is a final objective of our research.
NBO seeks to understand how the nervous system is able to discriminate between nearby smells, how it associates a positive/attractive or negative/aversive value to them from the context in which the smell is perceived (role of learning, conditioning), and which neural networks are activated by a simple smell to trigger behaviours comparable to those induced by a complex natural smell.