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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Published on: April 23, 2019

Odor localization and sniffing.

Johannes Frasnelli¹, Genevieve Charbonneau, Olivier Collignon

¹Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. frasnelli@yahoo.com

Chemical Senses

|November 13, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Active sniffing aids odor localization, but only for mixed olfactory/trigeminal stimuli. Pure odorants remain difficult to localize, even with active sniffing, suggesting complex sensory interactions in smell perception.

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Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

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Published on: April 23, 2019

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

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Published on: June 15, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sensory Perception
Olfactory Research

Background:

Odor localization in humans typically requires trigeminal nerve stimulation.
Active sniffing's role in localizing pure odorants is debated.
Investigating the interplay between olfactory and trigeminal senses in spatial perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if active sniffing improves pure odorant localization.
To compare localization abilities for pure odorants versus mixed stimuli under passive and active conditions.
To explore potential laterality effects in odor localization.

Main Methods:

Forty subjects participated in the study.
Stimuli included pure odorants and mixed olfactory/trigeminal compounds.
Localization was tested under passive (odor delivery) and active (sniffing) conditions.
Performance was assessed for right and left nostril stimulation.

Main Results:

Subjects could only reliably localize the mixed olfactory/trigeminal stimulus.
A significant interaction showed mixed stimuli were better localized passively, while pure odorants were better localized actively.
Right nostril stimulation yielded more correct localizations than left, with pure odorants localized below chance in the left nostril.

Conclusions:

Active sniffing can influence odor localization, particularly for pure odorants.
Pure odorants are generally not localizable, even with active sniffing.
Laterality effects suggest hemispheric differences in processing olfactory spatial information.