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The neural code and mechanisms that underlie the generation of behavior has been difficult to crack. Innate behaviors such as aggression, fear, and mating may pose a tractable model because they are highly conserved across evolution, their proper regulation and display is essential for fitness, and some of the essential circuit, amygdala and hypothalamus, are known. However, the identity of the precise neurons and logic of the circuits that generate these innate behaviors remains largely unknown and therefore unstudied. In the mouse, all of these essential behaviors can be robustly initiated by olfactory cues. We have identified specific sensory ligands that now enable us to precisely stimulate and identify the neural mechanisms that generate behavior. We are creating and assessing novel tools to be able to identify and manipulate the circuits that generate behavior. In addition, we are studying how the sensory information elicits variable responses depending on state, gender, or the complexity of the environment.