Articles tagged with Olfactory Perception
Researchers from the University of Warwick, Leicester, and Edinburgh are developing a nanotechnology-based electronic nose that mimics human olfactory sensors. The device aims to improve the sensitivity and processing power of existing electronic noses, allowing for real-time monitoring of environmental pollutants and food safety.
A protein in an insect's antenna picks up chemical signals called pheromones and changes its shape to eject them onto sensitive nerve endings. This discovery could lead to the development of insecticides that prevent insects from detecting other chemical signals, essential for their survival.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have identified four genes in the Anopheles gambiae mosquito that code for odorant receptors similar to those found in fruit flies. These genes are only expressed in the antennae and maxillary palps, indicating that mosquitoes use a conserved chemosensory system to track human body odor.
Researchers found that women taking oral contraceptives showed no change in their ability to detect odors, compared to the natural clime of the luteal phase. The study suggests that iatrogenic steroids may affect changes in smell sensitivity, and further research is needed to investigate this phenomenon.
Scientists at Emory University Health Sciences Center have discovered that the oxytocin gene is necessary for forming social memories, allowing individuals to recognize familiar faces. The study found that mice lacking this gene exhibited social memory deficits, which were restored with oxytocin treatment.
Researchers at Cornell University have developed a standard spectrum of smell to identify individuals with specific anosmia, which can distort data in sensory research labs. The new approach uses gas chromatography olfactometry to categorize people into three sensitivity levels: hyperosmic, hyposmic, and anosmic.
Neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have captured the first detailed images of the living brain in action, revealing how it recognizes specific odor molecules. The imaging technique can provide new insights into the machinery of learning and help decipher the brain's internal 'language' of smell.
Researchers have discovered that specialized proteins in the nose called olfactory receptors can bind with multiple odor molecules, creating a unique 'fingerprint' that the brain understands as a particular smell. This discovery could lead to new fragrances and flavors, as well as artificial smell sensors.
Researchers at Rockefeller University have elucidated the wiring diagram of the accessory olfactory system, which is more complex than the main olfactory system. The findings suggest that the accessory olfactory system recognizes blends of molecules rather than individual odorant molecules.
Scientists discover that the sense of smell in mammals uses a combinatorial code to recognize and process odors, allowing for the detection of thousands of scents with relatively few odor receptors. The study reveals that different combinations of receptors are used to describe various smells.
Linda Buck and colleagues found that the olfactory system uses a combination of odorant receptors to recognize different odors. The nose can discriminate a vast number of diverse odorants by recognizing distinct combinations of receptors.
Researchers have discovered a new method to deliver drugs directly to the brain using nose drops, potentially treating Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. The treatment uses nerve growth factor and has shown promising results in animal studies.
Researchers at Caltech found that the brain uses temporal activity patterns of neurons to represent odors, with specificity arising from considerations of their timing. This coding principle may be common to most animals, including humans, and could have implications for understanding odor perception.