Kevin Michael Franks | Scholars@Duke

Kevin Michael Franks
Associate Professor of Neurobiology

We use the rodent olfactory system to study how the brain forms internal representations of the external world. We analyze small, functional neural circuits in the olfactory bulb and piriform cortex. We record and image odor-evoked responses in vivo, employ optogenetic circuit mapping in vitro, and use olfactory behavioral assays.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2020
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2012

Contact Information

Box 3209, Durham, NC 27710
Bryan Research Building, 311 Research Drive Room 401D, Durham, NC 27710
franks@neuro.duke.edu (919) 684-3487

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., University of California - San Diego 2002
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Assistant Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2012 - 2020
- Instructor, Temporary in the Department of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2012
Recognition
In the News
- SEP 14, 2018
  
  Fine-Tuned Sense Of Smell Relies On Timing
Research
Selected Grants
- Medical Scientist Training Program awarded by National Institutes of Health 2022 - 2027
- Neurobiology Training Program awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2024
- Investigating cortical readout of temporal codes for olfaction awarded by National Institutes of Health 2022 - 2024
- Dissecting a neural substrate for stress-induced analgesia awarded by National Institutes of Health 2021 - 2024
- Project 3-Representation of perceived odor intensity awarded by New York University 2020 - 2023
- Project 2-How olfactory information is transformed from bulb to cortex awarded by New York University 2019 - 2023
- Odor Coding in Piriform Cortex awarded by National Institutes of Health 2016 - 2023
- CRCNS: Odor processing by cortical neural circuits awarded by National Institutes of Health 2017 - 2022
- Cell Mediated and humoral Immune mechanisms underlying neuromuscular dysfunction in autoimmune encephalitis awarded by Columbia University 2018 - 2021
- Basic predoctoral training in neuroscience awarded by National Institutes of Health 1992 - 2018
- The Cellular Substrate of Odor Perception: Synaptic Plasticity in Health and Disease awarded by Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation 2013 - 2016
- Synaptic Processes Mediating Cortical Odor Coding awarded by National Institutes of Health 2012 - 2015
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Diaz, Carolyn, Kevin M. Franks, and Robin M. Blazing. “Neuroscience: Seq-ing maps in the olfactory cortex.” Curr Biol 33, no. 7 (April 10, 2023): R266–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.055.
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  - Ryu, Brendan, Shivathmihai Nagappan, Fernando Santos-Valencia, Psyche Lee, Erica Rodriguez, Meredith Lackie, Jun Takatoh, and Kevin M. Franks. “Chronic loss of inhibition in piriform cortex following brief, daily optogenetic stimulation.” Cell Rep 35, no. 3 (April 20, 2021): 109001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109001.
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  - Russo, Marco J., Kevin M. Franks, Roxanne Oghaz, Richard Axel, and Steven A. Siegelbaum. “Synaptic Organization of Anterior Olfactory Nucleus Inputs to Piriform Cortex.” J Neurosci 40, no. 49 (December 2, 2020): 9414–25. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0965-20.2020.
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  - Blazing, Robin M., and Kevin M. Franks. “Neuroscience: Illuminating Principles of Odor Coding.” Curr Biol 30, no. 20 (October 19, 2020): R1279–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.024.
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  - Blazing, Robin M., and Kevin M. Franks. “Odor coding in piriform cortex: mechanistic insights into distributed coding.” Curr Opin Neurobiol 64 (October 2020): 96–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2020.03.001.
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  - Pashkovski, Stan L., Giuliano Iurilli, David Brann, Daniel Chicharro, Kristen Drummey, Kevin M. Franks, Stefano Panzeri, and Sandeep Robert Datta. “Author Correction: Structure and flexibility in cortical representations of odour space.” Nature 584, no. 7822 (August 2020): E38. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2615-z.
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  - Bolding, Kevin A., Shivathmihai Nagappan, Bao-Xia Han, Fan Wang, and Kevin M. Franks. “Recurrent circuitry is required to stabilize piriform cortex odor representations across brain states.” Elife 9 (July 14, 2020). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.53125.
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  - Pashkovski, Stan L., Giuliano Iurilli, David Brann, Daniel Chicharro, Kristen Drummey, Kevin M. Franks, Stefano Panzeri, and Sandeep Robert Datta. “Structure and flexibility in cortical representations of odour space.” Nature 583, no. 7815 (July 2020): 253–58. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2451-1.
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  - Platt, Maryann P., Kevin A. Bolding, Charlotte R. Wayne, Sarah Chaudhry, Tyler Cutforth, Kevin M. Franks, and Dritan Agalliu. “Th17 lymphocytes drive vascular and neuronal deficits in a mouse model of postinfectious autoimmune encephalitis.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 117, no. 12 (March 24, 2020): 6708–16. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911097117.
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  - Bolding, Kevin A., and Kevin M. Franks. “Recurrent cortical circuits implement concentration-invariant odor coding.” Science 361, no. 6407 (September 14, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat6904.
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  - Stern, Merav, Kevin A. Bolding, L. F. Abbott, and Kevin M. Franks. “A transformation from temporal to ensemble coding in a model of piriform cortex.” Elife 7 (March 29, 2018). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.34831.
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  - Nagappan, Shivathmihai, and Kevin M. Franks. “Learning: Plasticity without Stabilization in Olfactory Cortex.” Curr Biol 28, no. 1 (January 8, 2018): R23–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.11.010.
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  - Roland, Benjamin, Thomas Deneux, Kevin M. Franks, Brice Bathellier, and Alexander Fleischmann. “Odor identity coding by distributed ensembles of neurons in the mouse olfactory cortex.” Elife 6 (May 10, 2017). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26337.
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  - Bolding, Kevin A., and Kevin M. Franks. “Complementary codes for odor identity and intensity in olfactory cortex.” Elife 6 (April 5, 2017). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22630.
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  - Roland, Benjamin, Rebecca Jordan, Dara L. Sosulski, Assunta Diodato, Izumi Fukunaga, Ian Wickersham, Kevin M. Franks, Andreas T. Schaefer, and Alexander Fleischmann. “Massive normalization of olfactory bulb output in mice with a 'monoclonal nose'.” Elife 5 (May 13, 2016). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16335.
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  - Franks, Kevin M. “I Want It All and I Want It Now: How a Neural Circuit Encodes Odor with Speed and Accuracy.” Neuron 88, no. 5 (December 2, 2015): 852–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.11.016.
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  - Gire, David H., Kevin M. Franks, Joseph D. Zak, Kenji F. Tanaka, Jennifer D. Whitesell, Abigail A. Mulligan, René Hen, and Nathan E. Schoppa. “Mitral cells in the olfactory bulb are mainly excited through a multistep signaling path.” J Neurosci 32, no. 9 (February 29, 2012): 2964–75. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5580-11.2012.
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  - Franks, Kevin M., Marco J. Russo, Dara L. Sosulski, Abigail A. Mulligan, Steven A. Siegelbaum, and Richard Axel. “Recurrent circuitry dynamically shapes the activation of piriform cortex.” Neuron 72, no. 1 (October 6, 2011): 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2011.08.020.
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  - Rancz, Ede A., Kevin M. Franks, Martin K. Schwarz, Bruno Pichler, Andreas T. Schaefer, and Troy W. Margrie. “Transfection via whole-cell recording in vivo: bridging single-cell physiology, genetics and connectomics.” Nat Neurosci 14, no. 4 (April 2011): 527–32. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2765.
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  - Conner, James M., Kevin M. Franks, Andrea K. Titterness, Kyle Russell, David A. Merrill, Brian R. Christie, Terrence J. Sejnowski, and Mark H. Tuszynski. “NGF is essential for hippocampal plasticity and learning.” J Neurosci 29, no. 35 (September 2, 2009): 10883–89. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2594-09.2009.
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  - Fleischmann, Alexander, Benjamin M. Shykind, Dara L. Sosulski, Kevin M. Franks, Meredith E. Glinka, Dan Feng Mei, Yonghua Sun, et al. “Mice with a "monoclonal nose": perturbations in an olfactory map impair odor discrimination.” Neuron 60, no. 6 (December 26, 2008): 1068–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.046.
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  - Keller, Daniel X., Kevin M. Franks, Thomas M. Bartol, and Terrence J. Sejnowski. “Calmodulin activation by calcium transients in the postsynaptic density of dendritic spines.” Plos One 3, no. 4 (April 30, 2008): e2045. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002045.
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  - Franks, Kevin M., and Jeffry S. Isaacson. “Strong single-fiber sensory inputs to olfactory cortex: implications for olfactory coding.” Neuron 49, no. 3 (February 2, 2006): 357–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2005.12.026.
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  - Franks, Kevin M., and Jeffry S. Isaacson. “Synapse-specific downregulation of NMDA receptors by early experience: a critical period for plasticity of sensory input to olfactory cortex.” Neuron 47, no. 1 (July 7, 2005): 101–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2005.05.024.
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  - Franks, Kevin M., Charles F. Stevens, and Terrence J. Sejnowski. “Independent sources of quantal variability at single glutamatergic synapses.” J Neurosci 23, no. 8 (April 15, 2003): 3186–95. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-08-03186.2003.
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  - Franks, Kevin M., and Terrence J. Sejnowski. “Complexity of calcium signaling in synaptic spines.” Bioessays 24, no. 12 (December 2002): 1130–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.10193.
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  - Franks, Kevin M., Thomas M. Bartol, and Terrence J. Sejnowski. “A Monte Carlo model reveals independent signaling at central glutamatergic synapses.” Biophys J 83, no. 5 (November 2002): 2333–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75248-X.
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  - Franks, K. M., T. M. Bartol, and T. J. Sejnowski. “An MCell model of calcium dynamics and frequency-dependence of calmodulin activation in dendritic spines.” Neurocomputing 38–40 (June 1, 2001): 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-2312(01)00415-5.
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  - Christie, B. R., K. M. Franks, J. K. Seamans, K. Saga, and T. J. Sejnowski. “Synaptic plasticity in morphologically identified CA1 stratum radiatum interneurons and giant projection cells.” Hippocampus 10, no. 6 (2000): 673–83. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-1063(2000)10:6<673::AID-HIPO1005>3.0.CO;2-O.
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Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

In the News

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Recent Courses