Nonlinear sensory integration drives configural olfactory representations
- 1Hebrew University
Abstract
Natural environments are composed of complex stimulus mixtures that can be perceived either as combinations of known components (elemental coding) or acquire entirely new qualities (configural coding). While configural representation is traditionally viewed as a high-order emergent property of cortical processing, the underlying circuit mechanisms remain elusive. Employing C. elegans, we demonstrate that the neural foundations of configural representation can be established already at the sensory periphery. For most mixtures, single neuron responses arise through linear integration of the individual components. However, for a subset of mixtures, a small number of sensory neurons exhibit strong nonlinear integration, including NAND/XOR-like logic-gates computations. These nonlinear integrations collectively generate configural population codes. We present a novel quantitative predictor of configural representation and demonstrate that mixtures classified as configural induce emergent synergistic attraction and may lead to violations of rational choice behavior. Together, our findings identify single-neuron nonlinearities as a mechanistic link between sensory circuit dynamics and complex perceptual and decision-making outcomes.
Related
- Odor representations are structured by heterogeneous tuning and concentration-dependence of functionally distinct olfactory sensory neuron subpopulations.
- Immature olfactory sensory neurons provide complementary input in the intact olfactory system.
- Target-dependent routing of sensory information in the olfactory system
- Localized SARS-CoV-2 Infection Triggers a Tissue-Wide Antiviral Response and Functional Impairment of Olfactory Sensory Neurons
- Recurrent synapses between CO₂-sensitive olfactory sensory neurons enable robust CO₂ detection in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
BibTeX
@misc{bokman2026nonlinear,
title = {{Nonlinear sensory integration drives configural olfactory representations}},
author = {E. Bokman and I. P. kalij and Y. Waxman and B. Towler and Y. Balshayi and Y. Eliezer and A. Zaslaver},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.09.758135},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.758135v1},
note = {CC BY-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Nonlinear sensory integration drives configural olfactory representations
AU - E. Bokman
AU - I. P. kalij
AU - Y. Waxman
AU - B. Towler
AU - Y. Balshayi
AU - Y. Eliezer
AU - A. Zaslaver
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.09.758135
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.758135v1
AB - Natural environments are composed of complex stimulus mixtures that can be perceived either as combinations of known components (elemental coding) or acquire entirely new qualities (configural coding). While configural representation is traditionally viewed as a high-order emergent property of cortical processing, the underlying circuit mechanisms remain elusive. Employing C. elegans, we demonstrate that the neural foundations of configural representation can be established already at the sensory periphery. For most mixtures, single neuron responses arise through linear integration of the individual components. However, for a subset of mixtures, a small number of sensory neurons exhibit strong nonlinear integration, including NAND/XOR-like logic-gates computations. These nonlinear integrations collectively generate configural population codes. We present a novel quantitative predictor of configural representation and demonstrate that mixtures classified as configural induce emergent synergistic attraction and may lead to violations of rational choice behavior. Together, our findings identify single-neuron nonlinearities as a mechanistic link between sensory circuit dynamics and complex perceptual and decision-making outcomes.
ER -