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Related Experiment Videos

Eye closure in darkness animates olfactory and gustatory cortical areas.

M Wiesmann1, R Kopietz, J Albrecht

  • 1Department of Neuroradiology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany. martin.wiesmann@med.uni-muenchen.de

Neuroimage
|April 25, 2006
PubMed
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Closing your eyes in darkness activates brain regions for smell and taste, not just sensory systems. This suggests distinct "interoceptive" (eyes-closed) and "exteroceptive" (eyes-open) mental states.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Processing
  • Brain Imaging

Background:

  • Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies show distinct brain activity patterns for eyes-open versus eyes-closed conditions in darkness.
  • Eyes-open states typically activate ocular motor and attentional systems, while eyes-closed states engage visual, somatosensory, vestibular, and auditory systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if cortical areas associated with olfactory and gustatory systems are activated by eye closure in the absence of external stimulation.
  • To explore the concept of distinct "interoceptive" and "exteroceptive" mental states.

Main Methods:

  • Two fMRI experiments were conducted.
  • Experiment 1 (n=22) identified olfactory cortical areas, including the piriform cortex, using olfactory stimulation.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Experiment 2 (n=12) involved subjects in a dark MRI scanner alternately opening and closing their eyes to compare brain activity between conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Consistent with prior research, eyes-closed versus eyes-open conditions showed activation in visual, somatosensory, vestibular, and auditory cortical areas.
    • Crucially, cortical areas linked to the olfactory and gustatory systems were also found to be activated by eye closure.
    • These findings support a dual-state model of mental activity: interoceptive (eyes-closed) and exteroceptive (eyes-open).

    Conclusions:

    • Eye closure in darkness without other stimuli activates olfactory and gustatory brain regions.
    • This supports the hypothesis of distinct interoceptive (eyes-closed, imaginative, multisensory) and exteroceptive (eyes-open, attentive, motor) mental states.
    • The choice of baseline condition in fMRI studies significantly impacts observed activation patterns and their interpretation, particularly for sensory systems like olfaction and gustation.