Barbara Zielinski

Our lab examines the function of chemosensory systems such as olfaction and the diffuse chemosensory system in environmentally significant fish such as the sea lamprey, salmon and round goby.  We make use of electrophysiology, cellular imaging, tract tracing, immunocytochemistry and behavioural experiments to examine how chemosensory structures stimulate responses to the chemical environment.  This includes how chemosensory information is conveyed into brain, and how this neural information is channeled and integrated to evoke a memory or generate a motor response.  In nature, fish use chemosensory information, such as olfactory cues to direct feeding and reproduction, as well as alarm response and the recognition of conspecifics.  In the Great Lakes region, sea lampreys and round gobies are examples of highly successful invasive species that make good use of the olfactory system for movement and for behaviour associated with reproduction.  Our investigations encompass the different subsystems within the olfactory system, in particular the lamprey accessory olfactory system, and specific neuronal subpopulations within the salmon olfactory system.