Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2025
04:00
Author Spotlight: Assessing the Olfactory Effects of Airborne Pollutants — Buried Food and Social Odor Tests
Published on: September 13, 2024
885
Obesity wars: may the smell be with you
Miguel López1,2, José Manuel Fernández-Real2,3, Stanislav I Tomarev4
1NeurObesity Group, Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Summary
The sense of smell significantly influences energy balance by affecting food intake and energy expenditure. Olfactory cues play a crucial role in regulating metabolism and maintaining homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic regulation
- Neuroendocrinology
- Sensory neuroscience
Background:
- Energy balance classically relies on central and peripheral signals.
- Hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) integrates metabolic information.
- Emerging evidence highlights the role of traditional senses in metabolism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of olfaction's role in energy homeostasis.
- To explore the bidirectional relationship between olfaction and metabolism.
- To discuss novel insights into olfactory regulation of feeding and energy expenditure.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent advances in olfaction and energy balance research.
- Analysis of studies investigating olfactory impacts on feeding behavior.
- Examination of research on olfactory modulation of thermogenesis and substrate utilization.
Main Results:
- Olfaction plays a key, bidirectional role in energy homeostasis.
- Nutritional status impacts olfactory sensitivity.
- Olfactory inputs influence food selection, brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, and substrate utilization.
- Olfactomedin 2 (OLFM2) is identified as a potential key player.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory system significantly contributes to regulating energy intake and expenditure.
- Olfactory cues are integral to whole-body metabolism and energy balance.
- Further research into olfaction's role in metabolic health is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
8.8K
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...
The olfactory...
8.8K
01:24Obesity
556
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in...
556
01:03Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
9.4K
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...
9.4K
01:25Olfaction
44.6K
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...
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
44.6K
01:30Regulation of Food Intake
291
Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
291
01:27Tactile and Chemical Senses
331
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.
331