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

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

13.6K
Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
13.6K
Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

49.6K
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...
49.6K
Factors Affecting Perception01:25

Factors Affecting Perception

3.0K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
3.0K
Facial Feedback Hypothesis01:24

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

771
Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role...
771
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

1.2K
Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.
1.2K
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

13.7K
The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
13.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

New neurons flatten social hierarchies.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Multidomain correlates of burnout: A population-based study using supervised machine learning.

Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology·2026
Same author

How personality functioning shapes symptom development during and after treatment: A random intercept cross lagged panel analysis.

Comprehensive psychiatry·2026
Same author

Long-Term Effectiveness of Inpatient and Day-Hospital Treatment of Eating Disorders in Departments of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy in Germany.

European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association·2026
Same author

Bridging Lab and Life: A Dual-Person Paradigm for Social Interaction Research.

Psychophysiology·2026
Same author

Decoding odor responses: universal patterns and individual signatures in psychophysiology using nonlinear models.

Chemical senses·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research
06:13

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research

Published on: January 19, 2024

1.6K

Sad man's nose: Emotion induction and olfactory perception.

Elena L R Flohr1, Elena Erwin1, Ilona Croy2

  • 1Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Dresden University of Technology.

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|November 1, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Sadness impairs olfactory processing by slowing neural responses and reducing sensitivity to odors. This suggests that emotional states, like sadness, may contribute to decreased smell sensitivity observed in depression.

More Related Videos

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
10:42

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

10.2K
Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
04:47

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

7.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research
06:13

Author Spotlight: Exploring Olfactory Influences on Corticospinal Excitability - Insights and Innovations in Neurological Research

Published on: January 19, 2024

1.6K
A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
10:42

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

10.2K
Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
04:47

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

7.1K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Sensory Science

Background:

  • Emotional and olfactory processing are intricately linked anatomically and functionally.
  • Depression is associated with reduced olfactory sensitivity, suggesting a role for emotional states.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the specific impact of induced sadness on olfactory processing in healthy subjects.
  • To explore how affective states modulate chemosensory event-related potentials.

Main Methods:

  • Induced sadness in 31 healthy participants using movies.
  • Recorded chemosensory-evoked potentials (CEPs) after olfactory stimulation with pleasant and unpleasant odors.
  • Analyzed N1 and P2 peak latencies and amplitudes.

Main Results:

  • Sadness induction led to longer N1 and P2 peak latencies in CEPs.
  • Lower amplitudes were observed for unpleasant odors during sadness.
  • Olfactory processing was demonstrably reduced under a sad affective state.

Conclusions:

  • Affective state, specifically sadness, significantly modulates olfactory processing.
  • These findings suggest that emotional state may partially explain reduced olfactory sensitivity in depression.
  • This is the first study to demonstrate the influence of affective state on chemosensory event-related potentials.