Human Sense Of Smell Research Articles

Olfactory cilia, regulation and control of olfaction.

The sense of smell is still considered a fuzzy sensation. Softly wafting aromas can stimulate the appetite and trigger memories; however, there are many unexplored aspects of its underlying mechanisms, and not all of these have been elucidated. Although the final sense of smell takes place in the brain, it is greatly affected during the preliminary stage, when odorants are converted into electrical signals. After signal conversion through ion channels in olfactory cilia, action potentials are generated through other types of ion channels located in the cell body. Spike trains through axons transmit this information as digital signals to the brain, however, before odorants are converted into digital electric signals, such as an action potential, modification of the transduction signal has already occurred. This review focuses on the early stages of olfactory signaling. Modification of signal transduction mechanisms and their effect on the human sense of smell through three characteristics (signal amplification, olfactory adaptation, and olfactory masking) produced by olfactory cilia, which is the site of signal transduction are being addressed in this review.

Аристотель о запахе и обонянии

This article is devoted to the sense of smell in Aristotle’s psychology. Aristotle defines all senses by their proper objects. In the case of sense of smell, this is difficult to do, because the human sense of smell is poorly developed. In addition, the odor itself is problematic, ac­cording to Aristotle, it appears only under certain conditions. The purpose of this work was to consider the main aspects of Aristotle’s theory of the sense of smell. In this article, spe­cial attention will be paid to the following topics. Firstly, I considered the nature of odor: 1) why Aristotle defines odors and flavors as “almost the same affection”; 2) why odor should be considered as ἔγχυμον ξηρόν, and not as ἔγχυμον ὑγρόν; 3) what is the property of water and air, which plays the crucial role in the appearance of odors. Secondly, the ques­tion of the structure of the olfactory organ. Thirdly, the question of types of odors. And fourthly, the question of the place of the sense of smell among the other senses. It is shown that: 1) although Aristotle gives similar definitions of odors and flavors, he does not re­duce them to one another; 2) the medium plays the crucial role in distinguishing them; 3) the analogy between kinds of flavors and kinds of odors is not based on mathematical proportion of components; 4) the two types of odors named by Aristotle in De Sensu cannot have the same physical nature; 5) many difficulties concerning the sense of smell are con­nected with the specific role that it plays among other senses.

The human sense of smell in spatial orientation: A state-of-the-art review.

The human sense of smell in spatial orientation: A state-of-the-art review.

What do brain oscillations tell about the human sense of smell?

Brain activity may manifest itself as oscillations which are repetitive rhythms of neuronal firing. These local field potentials can be measured via intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG). This review focuses on iEEG used to map human brain structures involved in olfaction. After presenting the methodology of the review, a summary of the brain structures involved in olfaction is given, followed by a review of the literature on human olfactory oscillations in different contexts. A single case is provided as an illustration of the olfactory oscillations. Overall, the timing and sequence of oscillations found in the different structures of the olfactory system seem to play an important role for olfactory perception.

Review of: "(Nanobiosensors) The human sense of smell and taste, which detects different smells and tastes, or the body's immune system, which detects millions of different types of molecules, are examples of natural biosensors"

Review of: "(Nanobiosensors) The human sense of smell and taste, which detects different smells and tastes, or the body's immune system, which detects millions of different types of molecules, are examples of natural biosensors"

Review of: "Biological nano sensors (Nano bio sensor) The human sense of smell and taste"

Review of: "Biological nano sensors (Nano bio sensor) The human sense of smell and taste"

What Does the Human Olfactory System Do, and How Does It Do It?

Historically, the human sense of smell has been regarded as the odd stepchild of the senses, especially compared to the sensory bravado of seeing, touching, and hearing. The idea that the human olfaction has little to contribute to our experience of the world is commonplace, though with the emergence of COVID-19 there has rather been a sea change in this understanding. An ever increasing body of work has convincingly highlighted the keen capabilities of the human nose and the sophistication of the human olfactory system. Here, we provide a concise overview of the neuroscience of human olfaction spanning the last 10-15 years, with focus on the peripheral and central mechanisms that underlie how odor information is processed, packaged, parceled, predicted, and perturbed to serve odor-guided behaviors. We conclude by offering some guideposts for harnessing the next decade of olfactory research in all its shapes and forms.

What Makes a Qualified Chef? Olfactory and Sociodemographic Predictors of Vocational Exam Results in Culinary School Students

Research has demonstrated links between sociodemographic background and educational achievements in vocational education and training. Student achievements may be additionally impacted by individual characteristics specifically relevant to the domain of the professional training. In the context of professional culinary education, student achievement may be related to their olfactory ability as the human sense of smell is involved in food perception and preparation. However, whether sociodemographic factors and olfactory ability predict educational achievements has not been directly compared in the context of culinary vocational education, which formed the aim of the current study. To identify the strength of these predictors, we measured participants’ odor detection threshold, discrimination and identification ability with the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test battery and assessed individual significance of olfaction via a self-report survey. In addition to olfactory measures, sociodemographic data (student and parental educational background, financial status) were also analyzed to determine if they predict theoretical and/or practical exam scores. The results demonstrated that a student’s educational background was a significant predictor of scores in the theoretical (but not practical) exam. Parental educational background, financial status, and olfactory ability did not predict exam scores.

Gerüche als Kommunikationspfade – warum Emotionen durch die Nase gehen

For many species, the sense of smell is the most important sensory system for interacting with the environment and conspecifics. In contrast, the role of perception and communication of chemosensory information in humans has long been underestimated. The human sense of smell was considered less reliable, so that it was given less importance compared to visual and auditory sensory impressions. For some time now, a growing branch of research has been dealing with the role of the sense of sell in emotion and social communication, which is often only perceived subconsciously. This connection will be examine in more detail in this article. First, he basics regarding the structure and function of our olfactory system will be described for better understanding and classification. Then, with this background knowledge, the significance of olfaction for interpersonal communication and emotions will be discussed. Finally, we conclude that people suffering from olfactory disorders have specific impairments in their quality of life.

Improving the Accuracy of C4.5 Algorithm with Chi-Square Method on Pure Tea Classification Using Electronic Nose

Tea is one of the plantation products within the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, which plays an essential role as a mainstay commodity that boosts the Indonesian economy. Each type of tea has different properties, and the aroma of each type of tea can measure the quality of the tea. The human sense of smell is still very limited in classifying pure types of tea. Therefore, a device is needed to help measure the aroma of tea from an electronic nose. The devices attached to several gas sensors help humans take data from the smell of pure tea and calculate the value of each type of tea to test datasets with data mining algorithms. This study uses the C4.5 algorithm as a classification method with advantages over noise data, missing values, and handling variables with discrete and continuous types. Meanwhile, Chi-square is used to perform attribute severing in the data preprocessing process to increase the accuracy of dataset testing. Testing a pure tea dataset with four whole attributes, namely CO2, CO, H2, and CH4, using the C4.5 algorithm resulted in an accuracy of 93.65% and an increase in the accuracy performance of the C4.5 algorithm by 94.27% with dataset testing using Chi-Square feature selection with the two highest value attributes.

Assessment and Scientific Progresses in the Analysis of Olfactory Evoked Potentials.

The human sense of smell is important for many vital functions, but with the current state of the art, there is a lack of objective and non-invasive methods for smell disorder diagnostics. In recent years, increasing attention is being paid to olfactory event-related potentials (OERPs) of the brain, as a viable tool for the objective assessment of olfactory dysfunctions. The aim of this review is to describe the main features of OERPs signals, the most widely used recording and processing techniques, and the scientific progress and relevance in the use of OERPs in many important application fields. In particular, the innovative role of OERPs is exploited in olfactory disorders that can influence emotions and personality or can be potential indicators of the onset or progression of neurological disorders. For all these reasons, this review presents and analyzes the latest scientific results and future challenges in the use of OERPs signals as an attractive solution for the objective monitoring technique of olfactory disorders.

The Olfactory Nerve: Anatomy and Pathology

The human sense of smell is the unique sense through which the olfactory system can identify aromatic molecules within the air and provide a taste sensation. Still, also it plays an essential role in several other functions, warning about environmental safety and even impacts our emotional lives. Recently, olfactory impairment has become an issue of interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The dysfunction may vary from only reduced smell detection (hyposmia) to complete loss of it (anosmia) but also includes changes in the normal perception of odors (parosmia). Computed tomography and magnetic imaging resonance are the modalities of choice to evaluate the olfactory pathways. Computed tomography is the initial imaging modality for olfactory disturbances, allowing recognition of sinonasal pathologies, inflammatory processes, or bone-related tumors. Magnetic imaging resonance with dedicated protocols for olfactory disorders enables a detailed assessment of the sinonasal compartment and the anterior cranial fossa. Provides a better depiction of olfactory bulb volume, morphology and signal intensity, as well the status of signal intensity of the central olfactory projection areas. Several diseases can affect the olfactory nerve, such as congenital disorders, trauma, inflammatory or infectious diseases, neoplasms, and even post-operative involvement. This article aims to review the normal anatomy of the olfactory nerve pathway and highlight the spectrum of conditions that most commonly affect it.

Defining Scents: A Systematic Literature Review of Olfactory-based Computing Systems

The human sense of smell is a primal ability that has the potential to reveal unexplored relationships between user behaviors and technology. Humans use millions of olfactory receptor cells to observe the environment around them. Olfaction studies are gaining popularity with the progression of scent delivering (commercial and prototype) devices. This influx of research features various software and hardware designs. Additionally, previous studies have explored numerous target audiences and evaluation methodologies. This article presents a systematic review of pertinent literature that investigates olfactory-based computing (OBC) systems in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. Last, this article highlights state-of-the-art study/system designs, evaluation methods, and offers insights on ways to address current challenges/contributions relevant to OBC technologies.

Recording the Fragrance of 15 Types of Medicinal Herbs and Comparing Them by Similarity Using the Electronic Nose FF-2A

Medical herbs have been recognized till now as having different constituents that act on the human body. However, the fragrance of herbs is a complex mixture of odors, which makes it difficult to qualify or quantify the scent objectively on the human sense of smell. In this study, aromas of 15 medicinal herbs were recorded using an electronic nose FF-2A, and their characteristics were compared with aroma samples of wine such as Le Nez du Vin, to determine which wine aromas are similar to each medicinal herb. Thereafter, the aromas of the 15 herbs were standardized to create a reference axis for the aroma of each herb, and the similarity of tea herbs to the reference axis was examined. Additionally, the results were compared with those obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In FF-2A, the measured scent is recorded as an absolute value. We succeeded in calculating the similarity of the scents of other herbs with the axes of the scent of each herb by standardizing their scents and creating new axis data. Conversely, although GC-MS is able to identify the components and concentrations of fragrances, an electronic nose can analyze fragrances in a way that is uncommon with GC-MS, such as comparison of similarities between fragrances.

Emotional expression in human odour.

Recent work has demonstrated that human body odour alters with changing emotional state and that emotionally laden odours can affect the physiology and behaviour of people exposed to them. Here we review these discoveries, which we believe add to a growing recognition that the human sense of smell and its potential role in social interactions have been underappreciated. However, we also critically evaluate the current evidence, with a particular focus on methodology and the interpretation of emotional odour studies. We argue that while the evidence convincingly indicates that humans retain a capacity for olfactory communication of emotion, the extent to which this occurs in ordinary social interaction remains an open question. Future studies should place fewer restrictions on participant selection and lifestyle and adopt more realistic experimental designs. We also need to devote more consideration to underlying mechanisms and to recognise the constraints that these may place on effective communication. Finally, we outline some promising approaches to address these issues, and raise some broader theoretical questions that such approaches may help us to answer.

Diagnosis and Therapy of Olfactory Dysfunction - State of the ArtThe neglected sense-new evidence highlights the significance of the human sense of smell

Zunehmende Evidenz belegt, dass der menschliche Geruchssinn eine große Bedeutung für die Gesundheit und Lebensqualität einnimmt sowie eine besondere Leistungsfähigkeit aufweist. Durch die häufig auftretende Riechstörung im Rahmen der Infektion mit SARS-CoV‑2 rückt das klinische Interesse in der Behandlung von Patienten mit Verlust des Geruchs- und Geschmackssinnes in den Vordergrund. Der vorliegende Artikel beleuchtet wichtige Aspekte in der Diagnose und Therapie der chemischen Sinne.

An Update on Smell and Sensuality

When thinking of smell, we usually consider it only as one of the five senses. Compared to the rest of senses, smell has been underestimated. By conducting a research, we will be able to discover how mistaken we are. The human sense of smell is more powerful than it's usually given credit for and plays a major role in human health and behavior than many experts in the field are aware of the sense of smell is present in our daily activities and, depending on the gender, perception may differ, as well as from the anatomical structure of the olfactory organ between genders to the stimulus of the odor. The fragrances determine our everyday food choices, places where we choose to spend with our life partner. Scents can determine our sexual behavior, in building infant-parent connection and create our habits as well. It can also warn us against the selection of food, persons, also death. In this case, the loss of smell can be related with an olfactory organ dysfunction, but as well can have an endocrine, genetic or psychical basis. The olfactory dysfunction can change our habits and basically our whole life. It is irrefutable that while talking about smell which we consider as one of the senses, we can talk about sensuality which broadly covers the relationship between smell and perception of reality. Sensuality in a general sense can be defined as the perception of the surrounding things through the senses, as sensory pleasure, and unlike sexuality, which can be translated as the reception of biological, psychological and physical stimuli. Aim of the study: Currently all of our senses are mostly well known. We are trying to consider the topic from many different sides to make ourselves more and more advanced. We are trying to unite a couple of subjects to prove that we can connect one with another to explore how advanced our organism is. In this research we are trying to look closely at the two different topics and glue them together. Trying to improve and update the connection between the sense of smell and sensuality. This is possible due to the relationship between the smell and the part of our brain responsible for memories and memory, i.e. the limbic system. In this way, we can process the aroma stimulus into memories, we associate smells with specific situations, places, people or things [1]. Therefore, the objectives we have in this study are the following: The nose as an olfactory organ and the anatomical differences as to structure; the olfactory system is strictly connected with the sense of smell; sex, as a gender, something that make us different from each other; physical and psychological disorders and influence of smell. Taking into consideration the amount of work and research on the sense of smell and the still uncertain issues related to it, it is certain how important it is for life and science to fully understand its properties. Over time, with the development of science and technology, there is an increasing wish to learn about such a complicated machine as the human body. Material and methods: In the first part of this research, we will gather all the information that is commonly available so far in the international bibliography, as well as the achievements and utilities obtained to date. Following we will analyse all the new concepts that exist on the topic of sense of smell in connection with sex and sensuality, also how the smell can change due to various disorders and try to summarise it based on the latest research.

Effects of COVID-19 on Sense of Smell: Human Factors/Ergonomics Considerations.

ObjectiveWe review the effects of COVID-19 on the human sense of smell (olfaction) and discuss implications for human-system interactions. We emphasize how critical smell is and how the widespread loss of smell due to COVID-19 will impact human-system interaction.BackgroundCOVID-19 reduces the sense of smell in people who contract the disease. Thus far, olfaction has received relatively little attention from human factors/ergonomics professionals. While smell is not a primary means of human-system communication, humans rely on smell in many important ways related to both quality of life and safety.MethodWe briefly review and synthesize the rapidly expanding literature through September 2020 on the topic of smell loss caused by COVID-19. We interpret findings in terms of their relevance to human factors/ergonomics researchers and practitioners.ResultsSince March 2020 dozens of articles have been published that report smell loss in COVID-19 patients. The prevalence and duration of COVID-19-related smell loss is still under investigation, but the available data suggest that it may leave many people with long-term deficits and distortions in sense of smell.ConclusionWe suggest that the human factors/ergonomics community could become more aware of the importance of the sense of smell and focus on accommodating the increasing number of people with reduced olfactory performance.ApplicationWe present examples of how olfaction can augment human-system communication and how human factors/ergonomics professionals might accommodate people with olfactory dysfunction. While seemingly at odds, both of these goals can be achieved.

The importance of the olfactory system in human well-being, through nutrition and social behavior.

The human sense of smell is still much underappreciated, despite its importance for vital functions such as warning and protection from environmental hazards, eating behavior and nutrition, and social communication. We here approach olfaction as a sense of well-being and review the available literature on how the sense of smell contributes to building and maintaining well-being through supporting nutrition and social relationships. Humans seem to be able to extract nutritional information from olfactory food cues, which can trigger specific appetite and direct food choice, but may not always impact actual intake behavior. Beyond food enjoyment, as part of quality of life, smell has the ability to transfer and regulate emotional conditions, and thus impacts social relationships, at various stages across life (e.g., prenatal and postnatal, during puberty, for partner selection and in sickness). A better understanding of how olfactory information is processed and employed for these functions so vital for well-being may be used to reduce potential negative consequences.

Human Olfaction at the Intersection of Language, Culture, and Biology

The human sense of smell can accomplish astonishing feats, yet there remains a prevailing belief that olfactory language is deficient. Numerous studies with English speakers support this view: there are few terms for odors, odor talk is infrequent, and naming odors is difficult. However, this is not true across the world. Many languages have sizeable smell lexicons - smell is even grammaticalized. In addition, for some cultures smell talk is more frequent and odor naming easier. This linguistic variation is as yet unexplained but could be the result of ecological, cultural, or genetic factors or a combination thereof. Different ways of talking about smells may shape aspects of olfactory cognition too. Critically, this variation sheds new light on this important sensory modality.