Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Sound Intensity Level00:53

Sound Intensity Level

4.0K
Humans perceive sound by hearing. The human ear helps sound waves reach the brain, which then interprets the waves and creates the perception of hearing. The loudness of the environment in which a person is located determines whether they can distinguish between different sound sources.
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and...
4.0K
Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

40.5K
The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
40.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

COVID-19 masks increase the influence of face recognition algorithm decisions on human decisions in unfamiliar face matching.

PloS one·2022
Same author

Human-algorithm teaming in face recognition: How algorithm outcomes cognitively bias human decision-making.

PloS one·2020
Same author

Task-related hemodynamic responses are modulated by reward and task engagement.

PLoS biology·2019
Same author

Sniff Invariant Odor Coding.

eNeuro·2019
Same author

Simultaneously estimating the task-related and stimulus-evoked components of hemodynamic imaging measurements.

Neurophotonics·2017
Same author

Neural Coding of Perceived Odor Intensity.

eNeuro·2015
Same journal

Hunting ecology predicts eye arrangements in the modular visual system of spiders.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Sub-second fluctuations between top-down and bottom-up modes distinguish diverse human brain states.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Queen bees offload pesticide burden to eggs when social buffering is overwhelmed.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Pitch selectivity in ferret auditory cortex.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

A cell size-dependent competition between geometry and polarity governs nuclear and spindle positioning in early embryos.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Trophic cascades drive sustainability in the agricultural heritage rice-fish coculture system.

Current biology : CB·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
08:36

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling

Published on: April 11, 2025

1.1K

Single scale for odor intensity in rat olfaction.

Pawel T Wojcik1, Yevgeniy B Sirotin1

  • 1Shelby White and Leon Levy Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.

Current Biology : CB
|February 25, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Rats, like humans, use perceived odor intensity to compare concentrations. This elemental feature is influenced by concentration, molecular weight, and exposure time, revealing key aspects of rat olfaction.

More Related Videos

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice
09:33

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2018

8.3K
Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
09:53

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

Published on: April 23, 2019

6.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
08:36

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling

Published on: April 11, 2025

1.1K
An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice
09:33

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2018

8.3K
Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
09:53

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

Published on: April 23, 2019

6.5K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory perception
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Neural circuits compute elemental perceptual features for sensory discrimination in humans and animals.
  • Identifying specific perceptual features used in animal comparisons, particularly in olfaction, remains challenging.
  • Odor concentration affects both perceived quality and intensity, with humans using intensity for quantitative comparisons.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish that laboratory rats use perceived odor intensity for comparing concentrations of different odors.
  • To reveal the perceptual organization of odor intensity as an elemental feature in rat olfaction.
  • To investigate factors influencing perceived odor intensity beyond concentration.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were trained to classify single odor concentrations as high or low.
  • Rats then classified concentrations of two different odors presented across trials.
  • Analysis of classification errors to infer the use of a single intensity criterion.

Main Results:

  • Rats' errors in classifying two-odor concentrations were consistent with using a single intensity criterion for both odors.
  • Perceived odor intensity was found to be a function of concentration, molecular weight, and exposure time.
  • This indicates that rats employ perceived intensity for inter-odor concentration comparisons.

Conclusions:

  • Perceived intensity serves as an elemental perceptual feature in rat olfaction.
  • Odor intensity perception in rats is modulated by factors including concentration, molecular weight, and exposure time.
  • This study provides significant insights into the mechanisms of olfactory comparison in rats.