Memory and the sense of smell

Smell is often called the sense tied most closely to human memory, profoundly influencing people’s ability to recall past events and experiences. Yet, along with its cousin, taste, smell is probably the least well understood of our senses. However, recent molecular discoveries have yielded new understanding about the beautifully ordered anatomy of the olfactory circuits.

Working among scientists at the field’s forefront is neurobiologist Gilles Laurent, Hanson Professor of Biology and Computation and Neural Systems, who will summarize some of these recent advances in his talk “The Sense of Smell: A Window into the Brain and Memory.” Part of the Ernest C. Watson Lecture Series, the talk will take place Wednesday, February 23, at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium.

Laurent’s lab studies the neuronal mechanisms that underlie coding, perception, and behavior. Researchers study the questions of how odors are represented, learned, and recognized by the brain using insects that include fruit flies, locusts, and honeybees, as well as zebra fish, whose brains are remarkably efficient and small. Because the general designs of olfactory circuits are remarkably similar across species, Laurent’s research may ultimately apply to more complex systems such as the human brain.

Caltech has offered the Watson Lecture Series since 1922, when it was conceived by the late Caltech physicist Earnest Watson as a way to explain science to the local community. Seating for this free public event is on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Public Events at 1 (888) 2CALTECH, (626) 395-4652, or events@caltech.edu, or visit www.events.caltech.edu. Individuals with a disability can call (626) 395-4688 (voice) or (626) 395-3700 (TDD). All lectures will be available online at Caltech’s Streaming Theater, http://today.caltech.edu/theater.
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