Olfaction Lecture Flashcards
(36 cards)
Examples of the importance of olfaction include…
Hazard detection
Social function
Memory function
Wellbeing
Eating and drinking
People with no sense of smell can be more likely to experience the following hazards…
Consuming mouldy food
Experiencing gas incident
Chemical leaks
Why is smell important for parenting?
Babies seek out the smell of parents encouraging associative learning and positive emotional experiences promoting bonding
How can smell be important for relationships?
People can sleep better with a T-shirt smelling of their partner
What is the Proust effect?
The ability smell has in provoking memories
How can smell impact wellbeing?
Specific smells Alan inhibit particular moods and states. For example lavender found to improve sleep and relaxation, lower heart rate. Lemon can increase memory performance
What sense can regulate eating behaviours?
Smell
Difference in peripheral olfactory and central olfactory areas?
Central is in the brain, periphery in the nose
Where are the olfactory receptors that odour molecules are transported to though nasal passages?
Epithelium
Exons synapse with what
Neurons
How are odour molecules identified?
Molecules attach onto different receptor neurons based on a specific patterns
Where are olfactory signals transferred to?
From the olfactory bulb to the primary olfactory cortices
What system is activated from odours?
Trigeminal system
What follows the activation of the trigeminal system?
Somatosensory sensations such as pain or temperature. Examples include burning, stinging itching, cooling
What is the piriform cortex involved in?
Processing the initial chemical structure of the odour and its perceptual dimensions such as pleasantness or quality
Molecular change increase signal change where?
Anterior piriform cortex
Odour quality increase signal change where?
Posterior piriform cortex
Entorhinal cortex
Acts as a gateway to the hippocampus
Alzheimer’s disease first impacts where?
Entorhinal cortex
What structure explains the emotion connection to odour?
Amygdala - provokes emotion in odour evoked memories, pleasantness and intensity controlled here
Which area of the brain shows the strongest connectivity with primary olfactory regions?
Hippocampus
The role of the hippocampus for odour?
Maintains odour associated episodic memories as well as semantic knowledge of olfactory concepts
Key role of the thalamus?
Sending olfactory signals to a higher order region such as the orbitofrontal cortex
Insula key role
Evaluating the valence of the olfactory stimuli, lesions result in pleasant odours perceived unpleasant
