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http://dx.doi.org/10.15324/kjcls.2019.51.4.462

A Study on the Electrophysiological Response of the Cerebral Cortex by Olfactory Stimulation: Alpha Activity  

Kang, Ji-Hyuk (Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health and Medical Science, Daejeon University)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science / v.51, no.4, 2019 , pp. 462-467 More about this Journal
Abstract
Many studies in recent decades have revealed that olfactory stimulation by perfume or malodor inhalation exerts various psychological and physiological effects on humans. The most recent studies have examined the electrophysiological response of olfactory stimulation on the activity of human cortical nerve cells. The purpose of this current study is to quantitatively analyze what changes occur in the alpha activity in healthy participants (N=12) on olfactory stimulation using two types of odors (acacia and butanol). Exposure to the odor of acacia perfume was associated with a significant increase (66.7%) in alpha activity when compared with that of the no-odor background EEG. Exposure to the odor of butanol was associated with a significant reduction (33.3% to 41.7%) in EEG alpha activity when compared with that of the no-odor control. The results of this study demonstrated the potential to alter the cerebral cortex activity by olfactory stimulation. The results also suggest that olfactory perception has stimulatory effects on the function of the nervous system. In other words, it could be concluded from this study that inhalation of olfactory stimulation affected brain wave activities and mood states. Further research is needed to completely understand and describe the electrophysiological effects of different odors on the central nervous system.
Keywords
Alpha activity; Electrophysiological response; Olfactory stimulation;
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