A specially created device that emits odors, as well as machine learning-based analysis
The study found that odor information in the brain is not associated with perception during the early stages of processing. Perception occurred later, and unpleasant odors were processed faster than pleasant ones.
A team from the University of Tokyo createda special device that can accurately and timely transmit 10 different odors. The scents were offered to participants, who rated their pleasantness by wearing non-invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) caps that record signals inside the brain. The team was then able to process the EEG data using machine learning-based computer analysis to see for the first time when and where a range of odors was processed in the brain with high temporal resolution.
Problems with smell perception can be an early symptom of neurodegenerative diseases, so uncovering the neural basis of smell perception may help to better understand these diseases in the future.
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