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olfaction

·April 30, 2019·5 min read

Do you smell what I smell?

Small changes in a single olfactory receptor gene can affect how strong, or how pleasant, a person finds a particular odor.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 30, 2019·3 min read

Poor sense of smell associated with nearly 50% higher risk for death in 10 years

Poor olfaction is correlated with higher long-term mortality in older adults, particularly in those with good health at baseline. Dementia, Parkinson's disease and weight loss may be possible drivers for the higher mortality rates, but around 70% of cases are unexplained.

This shows a person licking an ice cream

Featured Neuroscience

·April 24, 2019·4 min read

Smelling with your tongue: Functional olfactory receptors in human taste center identified

Functional olfactory receptors have been identified in human taste cells. The findings suggest olfactory receptors play a role in the taste system by interacting with taste receptors on the tongue. The brain, researchers say, combines input from taste, smell and other senses to create a multi-modal sensation of flavor.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 22, 2019·5 min read

Brain regions linked to memory and emotion help humans navigate smell

During navigation tasks using a 'smell scape', the entorhinal cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex elicit grid cell-like activity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 15, 2019·4 min read

Sniffing pleasant odors may decrease cigarette craving

Pleasant olfactory cues hold promise for helping to curb the urge to smoke in those who are quitting. Exposure to olfactory cues reduced symptoms of cravings, with effects lasting up to five minutes following exposure.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 26, 2019·3 min read

New Insight on How the Nose Adapts to Smells

A new study sheds light on how our sense of smell is affected by the decrease of neurons in our noses as we age.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 20, 2019·3 min read

Smell of Food Controls Cellular Recycling and Affects Life Expectancy

Researchers have identified the influence food odors have on proteostasis.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 18, 2019·2 min read

Fighting the Craving for Fattening Foods? Just Surround Yourself In Its Scent

According to researchers, the ambient scent of foods can help to reduce cravings and satisfy the appetite.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 9, 2019·5 min read

Genes on the Move Help Nose Make Sense of Scents

A new study sheds light on the ingenious mechanism that underlies the brain's ability to distinguish between different smells.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·December 12, 2018·3 min read

Gut Hormone Increases Response to Food

Researchers discover activity in brain regions involved in reward response from dopamine was higher in subjects injected with the hormone ghrelin, but only when responding to images associated with food smells. The study reports ghrelin controls the extent to which the brain associates reward with food odors.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 15, 2018·4 min read

Seeing and Smelling Food Prepares the Liver for Digestion: Mouse Study

Researchers say the sight and smell of food alone may be enough to prompt the liver to start the processes that help digest food.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 30, 2018·3 min read

Key Differences in Brains of Women and Men with Schizophrenia

Researchers have identified key differences between the way males and females with schizophrenia process the emotional states of others than those without the condition. The study reports those with schizophrenia use less complex brain regions than healthy controls to process other people's emotions.