Imaging of olfaction and gustation

Positron emission tomographic (PET) scanning can be used to assess the cortical processing of responses to different odorants in man. The olfactory bulb receives the first projections on an ipsilateral basis from the nose, but then the cortex and the limbic system respond bilaterally. More irritating, burning odors (e.g., acetone) project via the trigeminal rather than the olfactory nerve and induce changes in the brain stem and the cortex. Sweet and salty tastes are readily distinguishable, but a bitter or painful stimulus leads to a deactivation of the primary gustatory cortex, which is in keeping with the need to focus on an avoidance response. The complex discrimination of odors, however, seems to involve the insula cortex, cerebellum, and hypothalamus, with pheromones seemingly sensed via the olfactory system in humans.