Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research
Published on: January 19, 2024
Effect of olfactory stimulation by fresh rose flowers on autonomic nervous activity
Miho Igarashi1, Chorong Song, Harumi Ikei
11 Center for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences, Chiba University , Chiba, Japan .
Objective:
To clarify the effect of olfactory stimulation by fresh rose flowers, which exude a strong fragrance, on heart rate variability.
Settings:
A chamber with an artificial climate maintained at 25°C with 50% relative humidity and 230 lux illumination at the Center for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Japan.
Participants:
Nineteen female university and graduate students (mean age, 21.6±1.5 years; age range, 19.0-26.0 years).
Interventions:
Fresh rose flowers as an olfactory stimulant, with air as a control.
Outcome Measures:
Heart rate variability and subjective evaluations. The power levels of the high-frequency (HF) (0.15-0.40 Hz) and low-frequency (LF) (0.04-0.15 Hz) components of heart rate variability were calculated by the maximum-entropy method. The HF power was considered to reflect parasympathetic nervous activity. The LF/HF power ratio was determined to reflect the sympathetic nervous activity. A modified semantic differential method was used to perform subjective evaluations.
Results:
Fresh rose flowers induced (1) a significant increase in parasympathetic nervous activities and (2) an increase in "comfortable" and "natural" feelings.
Conclusion:
The findings indicated that olfactory stimulation by fresh rose flowers induced physiological and psychological relaxation.
Related Concept Videos
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
The olfactory...
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
The Parasympathetic Nervous System
Sympathetic Activation
Physiology of Emotion
Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a critical role in emotional responses by regulating involuntary physiological functions. It consists of two main components: the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system...
Neural Regulation of Blood Pressure
Baroreceptor Reflex
Baroreceptors, located in the carotid sinuses and aortic arch, detect changes in blood pressure. When blood pressure rises, these stretch-sensitive receptors...

