Somatostatin-expressing interneurons provide subtractive inhibition and regulate sensory response fidelity in olfactory cortex

Diverse types of local GABAergic interneurons shape the cortical representation of sensory information. Here we show how somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SOM cells) contribute to odor coding in mouse olfactory cortex. We find that odor-tuned SOM cells regulate principal cells through a purely subtractive operation that is independent of odor identity or intensity. This operation enhances the salience of odor-evoked activity without changing cortical odor tuning. SOM cells inhibit both principal cells and fast-spiking interneurons, indicating that subtractive inhibition reflects the interplay of multiple classes of interneurons.