Quality of odor and olfactory lateralization processes in humans

The study of olfactory lateralization processes in humans has given rise to many publications, but the resulting data have not been homogeneous. Sensorial cerebral asymmetry depends on several factors (nature of task, characteristics of subjects, etc.) and could also depend on the quality of the stimulus, especially in olfaction. This field appears to be widely unexplored and the quality of odor is a complex property. The aim of this study was to investigate variations in psychophysiological measurements (bilateral electrodermal recordings) related to the quality of odors. Electrodermal asymmetries were used as a function of differential hemispheric activation. Two major characteristics of odor were explored, the hedonic valence (pleasant/unpleasant) and the trigeminal component (irritant/non-irritant). The results obtained in a sample of 30 right-handed subjects (15 males and 15 females) showed a predominance of the right hemisphere in the treatment of olfactory information not depending on the quality of odor, except the trigeminal-nerve activation.