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olfaction

·December 16, 2025·6 min read

Two Dopamine Neuron Subtypes Process Smell in Different Ways

Closely related dopamine-releasing neurons in the olfactory bulb behave in fundamentally different ways depending on their physical structure. One subtype releases neurotransmitters from dendrites instead of axons—an unusual mechanism that allows the cells to act locally and even self-inhibit.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 1, 2025·5 min read

Smelling Fatty Foods in Pregnancy May Raise Obesity Risk in Children

New research shows that exposure to the smell of fatty foods during pregnancy and early life can reprogram the developing brain and increase the risk of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood. Even when mothers consumed a healthy low-fat diet, the presence of fatty food odors altered how offspring responded to high-fat foods later.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 17, 2025·4 min read

Brain Splits Smell Into “What It Is” and “How It Feels”

New research shows that the brain separates “what an odor is” from “how it feels,” with each processed at distinct times. Shortly after an odor is presented, the brain activates a fast, objective signal that tracks molecular features and supports accurate odor discrimination.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·October 27, 2025·9 min read

Hungry Brains Rewrite the Senses

When fruit flies lack essential amino acids, their brains rewire their sense of smell to help them find food rich in the nutrients they need. Researchers discovered that two genes—Or92a and Ir76a—boost the flies’ sensitivity to smells linked with fermented foods and bacteria that produce beneficial amino acids.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 19, 2025·5 min read

How Neurons Pick Just One Scent Receptor

Researchers studying clonal raider ants have uncovered how each sensory neuron manages to express just one odorant receptor gene from a library of hundreds. Unlike fruit flies or mammals, ants employ a unique system of transcriptional interference: once one receptor gene is chosen, surrounding genes are silenced by readthrough and antisense transcripts.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 29, 2025·4 min read

Stem Cells Use Toggle Switch to Regenerate Neurons

Scientists have uncovered how stem cells in the olfactory system continually regenerate neurons responsible for our sense of smell. Using live zebrafish imaging, cell tracking, and single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers identified a bistable toggle switch that drives progenitor cells to commit to specific fates and self-organize into “cellular neighborhoods.”

This shows a person surrounded by fragrant objects and radio waves.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·August 19, 2025·4 min read

Radio Waves Can Strengthen Sense of Smell

A new study introduces a safe, painless way to improve the sense of smell using radio waves. Unlike traditional treatments that rely on strong scents or medications, this noninvasive method stimulates olfactory nerves directly through a small antenna placed near the forehead.

This shows a neuron attached to a flower, as though to imply the olfactory implications associated with Alzheimer's.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·August 17, 2025·4 min read

Immune Attack on Smell Pathways May Signal Early Alzheimer’s

A fading sense of smell may be one of the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and new research reveals why. Scientists found that microglia, immune cells in the brain, mistakenly remove nerve fibers connecting the locus coeruleus and olfactory bulb—two regions essential for processing odors.

This shows a man and woman with their heads close together, surrounded by DNA and flowers. The implication of this image is that men and women's olfactory senses differ according to genetics.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·July 30, 2025·4 min read

Your Genes Influence What You Smell

A major genetic study of over 21,000 Europeans has identified 10 regions in the genome linked to how we perceive specific odors—seven of which are newly discovered. Three of these genetic regions function differently in men and women, helping explain hormone-driven changes in smell sensitivity.

This shows a man and woman. The woman is surrounded by swirls, implying the release of scent. The man's head has a lit up area of the brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 28, 2025·6 min read

Women’s Scent During Ovulation Alters Male Stress and Attraction

Certain scent compounds in female body odor, which increase during ovulation, can subtly influence male perception and stress levels. When these compounds were added to model armpit odors, men found the scents more pleasant and rated images of women as more attractive and feminine.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·July 15, 2025·5 min read

Dogs Can Sniff Out Parkinson’s Disease

Trained detection dogs can identify Parkinson’s disease (PD) with remarkable accuracy by sniffing skin swabs, according to a new study. In double-blind trials, the dogs achieved up to 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity, even when samples came from patients with other health conditions.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 8, 2025·7 min read

One Neuron, Two Behaviors

New research shows a single neuron in fruit flies can trigger two distinct behaviors in response to the same smell. When detecting rotting fruit, one downstream pathway drives the flies toward the source, while another pathway controls their walking speed.

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olfaction

Two Dopamine Neuron Subtypes Process Smell in Different Ways

Smelling Fatty Foods in Pregnancy May Raise Obesity Risk in Children

Brain Splits Smell Into “What It Is” and “How It Feels”

Hungry Brains Rewrite the Senses

How Neurons Pick Just One Scent Receptor

Stem Cells Use Toggle Switch to Regenerate Neurons

Radio Waves Can Strengthen Sense of Smell

Immune Attack on Smell Pathways May Signal Early Alzheimer’s

Your Genes Influence What You Smell

Women’s Scent During Ovulation Alters Male Stress and Attraction

Dogs Can Sniff Out Parkinson’s Disease

One Neuron, Two Behaviors

Multilingualism Calculator Reveals True Language Strengths

Brain Blends Fast and Slow Signals to Shape Human Thought

Immune Signal Ratio May Predict Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Early Screen Time Linked to Long-Term Brain Changes, Teen Anxiety

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