Different people can have varying perceptions of the same scents and odors, for instance perceiving the same perfume as "fruity" or "musky." Studies have suggested that the ways in which the same odors are mapped in the brain of different individuals are highly flexible, particularly compared to visual stimuli, which are typically represented similarly.
— Read more in Study sheds light on the neural underpinning of subjective odor perceptions at Medical Xpress.
Posted by Robin on 2 Comments
What’s next? The team surmises that the model map may be organized based on metabolism, which would be a fundamental shift in how scientists think about odors. In other words, odors that are close to each other on the map, or perceptually similar, are also more likely to be metabolically related. Sensory scientists currently organize molecules the way a chemist would, for example, asking does it have an ester or an aromatic ring?
“Our brains don't organize odors in this way,” said Mainland. “Instead, this map suggests that our brains may organize odors according to the nutrients from which they derive.”
— Read more in A step closer to digitizing the sense of smell: Monell Center, Osmo model describes odors better than human panelists at EurekAlert.
Posted by Robin on 7 Comments
When a fragrance wafted through the bedrooms of older adults for two hours every night for six months, memories skyrocketed. Participants in this study by University of California, Irvine neuroscientists reaped a 226% increase in cognitive capacity compared to the control group. The researchers say the finding transforms the long-known tie between smell and memory into an easy, non-invasive technique for strengthening memory and potentially deterring dementia.
— Read more in Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost at ScienceDaily.
Posted by Robin on Leave a Comment
When a cat takes a sniff, airflow is diverted into two different streams for breathing and smelling. The model showed that the animal’s nasal passages then direct the smelling stream through an extensive network of tightly coiled, sensor-studded channels called turbinates. The scientists hypothesize that this structure may function like a gas chromatograph—a sophisticated chemical device that separates different compounds based on their solubility. Scents that dissolve less easily in nasal mucus travel farther than more readily dissolved ones and therefore bind to more distant smell receptors.
— Read more in Cat Noses Contain Twisted Labyrinths That Help Them Separate Smells at Scientific American.
Posted by Robin on 2 Comments
In a study that followed more than 2,000 community-dwelling older adults over eight years, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have significant new evidence of a link between decreased sense of smell and risk of developing late-life depression.
Their findings, published June 26 in Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, do not demonstrate that loss of smell causes depression, but suggests that it may serve as a potent indicator of overall health and well-being.
— Read more in A Fading Sense of Smell: New Predictor of Late-Life Depression? at Neuroscience News.