Each neuron is connected, via a synapse to the olfactory bulb, which is part of the brain, by a long fiber called an axon. It is in the olfactory bulb that the first impressions are made. "Olfaction is [. . .] the most direct interface between the brain and the outside world" (1). Once the odors have triggered the receptor sites, the olfactory bulb sends nerve impulses, by the olfactory bundles, to the thalamus and to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus forms part of the limbic system (the oldest area of the brain) which activates smell-related emotions and "the olfactory relationships with memory, eating, survival, sex and other emotional behavior" ("How" 2). In this way, the hypothalamus and limbic system play a major role in emotional conditions such as stress and depression. .
According to a study done by Bettina Pause, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychology at Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel in Germany, the study of the olfactory system may heighten one's understanding of the physiological basis of depression. She stated that, "the presentation of odors as emotional stimuli, by contrast, is powerfully direct, and odors seem to be powerful emotional stimuli" (Melville 1). Doctor Pause and some colleagues examined 25 depressed study .
Ocampo 4.
participants in comparison with the same number of healthy people, acting as controls, to observe how their senses of smell and sight responded to emotional stimuli. They exposed the participants to emotionally charged sights and smells, such as the fragrance of roses and the putrid smell of rotten butter. By placing electrodes on 32 scalp locations, Dr. Pause and her colleagues were able to monitor the electrical activity of the participants" brains during the exposure. They later reexamined 15 of the depressed patients to see if their responses had changed after successful medical treatment (Apria).
Dr. Pause and team discovered that the depressed patients were less responsive to the smells and visual stimuli than the healthy subjects.
The Economic Commission for Latin American (ECLA) was established and commenced operations in 1948. In 1984, ECLA expanded the scope of its work to include the region of the Caribbean and the organization's name was changed to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). ECL...
Infantcide and Neonaticide PARENTS COMMITTING THE UNTHINKABLE Sarah Renee Vasquez an 18-year-old woman concealed her pregnancy from her parents and friends alike. She gave birth to a full-term baby girl in the family bathroom around 7:15 p.m. October 3, 1999. She then took a pair of scis...
Early Cuban History Cuba is a very interesting country with a very dramatic history behind it. Cuba was first discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. Columbus names the island "San Salvador-, although the natives call it "Guanahani."" Columbus sailed around the shores of Cuba, which he c...
