Electrophysiological Representations of Odor in the Human Brain Study 2
Northwestern University
Summary
To identify a neural representation of odor identity, it is necessary to dissociate molecular structure from perceptual identity/similarity. Whether the olfactory system employs a coding scheme in which the similarity between neural features is systematically related to perceptual similarity is unknown. Experiments for this aim will acquire perceptual responses while manipulating perceptual similarity. In Experiment 1A, we will examine features of neural responses during natural behavior of freely naming odors. In Experiment 1B, we will manipulate perceptual similarity with odor metamers and collect perceptual and neural data on each trial. Preliminary data suggest that the earliest, high-frequency components of the piriform response can optimally decode perceptual identity.
Description
Olfactory perception relies on the brain's ability to extract and represent different features of an odor stimulus. For example, intensity and identity are fundamental features of the olfactory percept that must be encoded separately for accurate perception; the same odor can be encountered at different strengths. Understanding neural representations of olfactory perceptual features is fundamental to understanding the olfactory system, however the neural correlates of odor intensity and identity are poorly understood in the human brain. The field of olfaction typically uses chemistry as a pr…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 12–65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Ages 12 to 65, english speaker, patients undergoing brain surgery for treatment of medically intractable epilepsy Exclusion Criteria: * screening for history of smell or taste problems
Interventions
- Behavioralodor
present odor
Location
- Northwestern UniversityChicago, Illinois