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    Kamal deep singh Singh
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    The document discusses research into the connection between smells and memory. Brain scans showed that when people smelled unrelated odors paired with images, the olfactory cortex was activated both when they smelled and later saw the images alone, suggesting smells help store memories across brain regions. Additional research found odor-evoked memories were more emotional and detailed than those triggered by sights or sounds. Smells may aid recall of past experiences through activation of regions involved in emotion and memory formation.

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    The document discusses research into the connection between smells and memory. Brain scans showed that when people smelled unrelated odors paired with images, the olfactory cortex was activated both when they smelled and later saw the images alone, suggesting smells help store memories across brain regions. Additional research found odor-evoked memories were more emotional and detailed than those triggered by sights or sounds. Smells may aid recall of past experiences through activation of regions involved in emotion and memory formation.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    31 views22 pages

    HK

    Uploaded by

    Kamal deep singh Singh
    The document discusses research into the connection between smells and memory. Brain scans showed that when people smelled unrelated odors paired with images, the olfactory cortex was activated both when they smelled and later saw the images alone, suggesting smells help store memories across brain regions. Additional research found odor-evoked memories were more emotional and detailed than those triggered by sights or sounds. Smells may aid recall of past experiences through activation of regions involved in emotion and memory formation.

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    of 22

    reaching t h e amygdala.

    The direct link between odors and t h e amygdala may help explain

    t h e emotional potency of smells. "There is this unique connection between t h e sense of

    smell and t h e part of t h e brain t h a t processes emotion," says Rachel Herz.

    C. But t h e links d o n ' t stop there. Like an octopus reaching its tentacles outward, t h e

    memory of smells affects other brain regions as well. In recent experiments,

    neuroscientists at University College London (UCL) asked 15 volunteers t o look a t

    pictures while smelling unrelated odors. For instance, the subjects might see a photo of

    a duck paired w i t h t h e scent of a rose, and t h e n be asked to create a story linking t h e

    t w o . Brain scans taken at t h e t i m e revealed t h a t t h e volunteers' brains were particularly

    active in a region known as t h e olfactory cortex, which is known to be involved i n

    processing smells. Five minutes later, t h e volunteers were shown t h e duck photo again,

    b u t w i t h o u t t h e rose smell. And in their brains, t h e olfactory cortex lit u p again, t h e

    scientists reported recently. The fact t h a t t h e olfactory cortex became active in t h e

    absence of the odor suggests t h a t people's sensory memory of events is spread across

    different brain regions. Imagine going o n a seaside holiday, says UCL team leader, Jay

    Gottfried. The sight of the waves becomes stored i n one area, whereas t h e crash of t h e

    surf goes elsewhere, and t h e smell of seaweed in yet another place. There could be

    advantages to having memories spread around t h e brain. "You can reawaken t h a t

    memory from any one of t h e sensory triggers," says Gottfried. "Maybe t h e smell of the

    sun lotion, o r a particular sound from t h a t day, o r t h e sight of a rock formation." Or in

    t h e case of an early hunter and gatherer (out o n a plain - t h e sight of a lion might be

    enough to trigger t h e urge t o flee, rather than having t o wait for t h e sound of its roar and

    t h e stench of its hide t o kick in as well.

    D. Remembered smells may also carry extra emotional baggage, says Herz. Her research

    suggests t h a t memories triggered by odors are more emotional than memories triggered

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    by other cues. In one recent study, Herz recruited five volunteers w h o had vivid

    memories associated w i t h a particular perfume, such as opium for Women and Juniper

    Breeze from Bath and Body Works. She t o o k images of t h e volunteers'brains as they

    sniffed t h a t perfume and an unrelated perfume w i t h o u t knowing which was which. (They

    were also shown photos of each perfume bottle.) Smelling t h e specified perfume

    activated t h e volunteers brains t h e most, particularly in t h e amygdala, and in a region

    called t h e hippocampus, which helps i n memory formation. Herz published t h e w o r k

    earlier this year in t h e journal Neuropsychologia.

    E. But she couldn't be sure t h a t t h e other senses wouldn't also elicit a strong response. So,

    in another study Herz compared smells w i t h sounds and pictures. She had 70 people

    describe an emotional memory involving three items-popcorn, fresh-cut grass and a

    campfire. Then they compared t h e items through sights, sounds and smells. For instance,

    t h e person might see a picture of a lawnmower, then sniff t h e scent of grass and finally

    listen to t h e lawnmower's sound. Memories triggered by smell were more evocative than

    memories triggered by either sights o r sounds.

    F. Odor-evoked memories may be n o t only more emotional, but more detailed as well.

    Working w i t h colleague John Downes, psychologist Simon Chu of t h e University of

    Liverpool started researching odor and memory partly because of his grandmother's

    stories about Chinese culture. As generations gathered to share oral histories, they would

    pass a small pot of spice o r incense around; later, when they wanted to remember the

    story in as much detail as possible, they would pass t h e same smell around again. "It's

    kind of fits w i t h a lot of anecdotal evidence o n h o w smells can be really good reminders

    of past experiences," Chu says. And scientific research seems to bear o u t t h e anecdotes.

    In one experiment, Chu and Downes asked 42 volunteers to tell a life story, then tested

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    create a story

    Brain scans olfactory cortex,

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