The neural substrates responsible for food odor processing: an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Olfactory processing
• Sensory integration

Background:

• Food odors play a unique role in human behavior compared to other scents.
• The specific brain regions involved in processing food odors are not well understood.
• Distinguishing food from non-food odor processing is crucial for understanding olfactory functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the neural substrates responsible for processing food odors in the human brain.
• To differentiate brain activation patterns between food and non-food odor perception.
• To minimize the confounding effect of odor pleasantness in meta-analysis.

Main Methods:

• Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of olfactory neuroimaging studies.
• Selection of studies with pleasant odors and sufficient methodological validity.
• Comparison of ALE maps for food and non-food odor conditions.

Main Results:

• Early olfactory areas showed more extensive activation for food odors than non-food odors.
• Contrast analysis identified a significant cluster in the left putamen for food odor processing.
• The findings suggest a distinct neural network for edible odor perception.

Conclusions:

• Food odor processing involves a functional network for olfactory sensorimotor transformation.
• This network facilitates approach behaviors towards edible odors, including active sniffing.
• The left putamen is a key region for processing the rewarding aspects of food odors.