Neurology

Researchers discover how we differentiate smells

Published in Law and Health Weekly, January 20th, 2007

A new study by Northwestern University researchers shows that the brain learns to differentiate between similar smells simply through passive experience, shedding light on how we ultimately learn to identify thousands of smells from birth. The study also revealed for the first time how and where the brain modifies and updates information about smells.

In the study, researchers presented a single odor to human subjects continuously for 3 1/2 minutes. Half of the subjects received a minty odor; the other half, a floral odor. The researchers discovered that this prolonged sensory exposure induced mint (or floral) "expertise," depending on which odor the subjects had...

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Source: Law and Health Weekly (2007-01-20)

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