Harvard University · Microbiology & ImmunologyMurthy Lab
Venkatesh N Murthy · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Venkatesh N Murthy's lab at Harvard University focuses on understanding how animals make decisions based on sensory information, particularly in relation to smell. They study how the brain learns and maintains representations of odors, examines the neural circuits involved in tracking these scents, and investigates how experiences affect learning in the brain. Their work combines behavioral experiments with advanced imaging techniques to uncover the neural mechanisms that underpin decision-making and sensory processing.
olfactory processingneural codingdecision makingdopaminergic signalingsynaptic plasticityanimal behaviorreward processingneural circuitsmemoryactive sensation
Research Aims
5AIM 01Determine the stability of neural representations in the olfactory tubercle over time.
AIM 02Investigate changes in representations when learning new odor associations.
AIM 03Explore the role of dopamine in the stability of neural representations.
AIM 04Characterize behavioral strategies used by mice during odor trail tracking.
AIM 05Identify neural circuits involved in scent tracking and processing.
Skills the Lab Values
multiphoton imagingbehavioral assaysviral tracingtranscriptomicscell cultureanimal trainingdata analysisneuroscience modelingoptogeneticselectrophysiology
Output against the department
Publications266top 20% of dept.98th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations20ktop 19% of dept.93rd of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.