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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Odorant-induced Responses Recorded from Olfactory Receptor Neurons using the Suction Pipette Technique
Published on: April 5, 2012
The grasping side of odours
Federico Tubaldi1, Caterina Ansuini, Roberto Tirindelli
1Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Olfaction influences reach-to-grasp movements by providing detailed information for planning. When olfactory cues match visual targets, grasping is facilitated; mismatches cause interference, impacting hand shaping and finger coordination.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Integration
- Motor Control
Background:
- Multisensory integration in natural tasks like reach-to-grasp is under-researched.
- Crossmodal links involving vision, proprioception, and audition are known.
- The role of olfaction in planning and controlling reach-to-grasp movements remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of olfactory stimuli on reach-to-grasp movements.
- To determine if olfactory information can guide motor planning for grasping.
Main Methods:
- Utilized kinematic analysis to study reach-to-grasp movements.
- Presented participants with visual targets of varying sizes (small/large).
- Introduced olfactory stimuli evoking objects requiring different grasp types (precision/power grip).
Main Results:
- Olfactory cues that mismatched the visual target's required grasp type led to kinematic interference and reduced finger synergy.
- When olfactory cues and visual targets evoked congruent grasp types, facilitation was observed, maintaining finger coordination.
- Olfactory information significantly impacted hand shaping and movement execution.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory information contains detailed data that can elicit specific reach-to-grasp movement plans.
- This study contributes to understanding the multisensory basis of sensorimotor transformations in grasping.
- Olfaction plays a significant role in the sensorimotor control of object interaction.
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