With neurons as its primary computational components, the brain operates at multiple timescales. In this thesis, we focus on two timescales: on a relatively slow timescale on the order of hours to days, the brain adapts to the environment it is exposed to and learns its circuitry by altering the...
To survive, animals, including human beings, have developed an amazing ability to learn the constantly changing environment. Specifically, detecting specific odorants in a noisy, variable background is crucial for finding food and water, mating, and avoiding potential dangers. For this purpose, rodents have developed an olfactory system that is powerful...