Welcome to the Buck Lab

Linda Buck’s laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms and neural circuits that underlie the sense of smell and instinctive odor responses. They are interested in how the olfactory system detects myriad environmental chemicals and how the brain translates those chemicals into diverse odor perceptions, physiological changes, and instinctive behaviors. Illumination of the mechanisms underpinning these and other effects on innate functions could shed light on certain human disorders, particularly those involving stress, fear, and appetite, as well as mechanisms impacted during aging.