The Sniff Is Part of the Olfactory Percept

Authors: Mainland, Joel; Sobel, Noam

Source: Chemical Senses, Volume 31, Number 2, 15 February 2006 , pp. 181-196(16)

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Abstract:

In this review, we use data obtained primarily from humans to argue that sniffs are not merely a stimulus carrier but are rather a central component of the olfactory percept. We argue that sniffs 1) are necessary for the olfactory percept, 2) affect odorant intensity perception and identity perception, 3) drive activity in olfactory cortex, 4) are rapidly modulated in an odorant-dependent fashion by a dedicated olfactomotor system, and 5) are sufficient to generate an olfactory percept of some sort even in the absence of odor.

Keywords: humans; odor coding; odor intensity; olfactomotor; psychophysics; sniff

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjj012

Publication date: 2006-02-15

More about this publication?

Chemical Senses publishes original research and review papers on all aspects of chemoreception in both humans and animals. An important part of the journal's coverage is devoted to techniques and the development and application of new methods for investigating chemoreception and chemosensory structures.