The Presentation of Olfactory–Trigeminal Mixed Stimuli Increases the Response to Subsequent Olfactory Stimuli

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of (1) the addition of trigeminal stimuli to an olfactory stimulus and (2) the congruence in the odorous mixture after repeated odor presentation. Twenty-five normosmic volunteers were enrolled and presented stimulation blocks, consisting of three habituation stimuli (H) (orange odor), one dishabituation (DH) (control condition, orange odor; congruent condition, orange odor + CO; incongruent condition, orange odor + l-isopulegol), and one dishabituated stimulus (D) (orange odor). Olfactory event-related potentials were analyzed. Response amplitudes differed significantly in the incongruent condition (N1P2 between H3 and D; peak to peak N1P2 at electrode positions Cz, Fz, and Pz; response amplitudes between H3 and DH). The addition of CO modified the perception of orange odor, pronouncing a fruity note, whereas the addition of l-isopulegol as a DH pronounced the l-isopulegol note. This study provides evidence that incongruent trigeminal-olfactory stimulants increase the response to subsequent olfactory stimulus.

Gender difference in ratings of odor intensity during olfactory training

“…Eucalyptol is a strong bimodal odor, activating both the trigeminal and the olfactory systems (Frasnelli, Gingras‐Lessard, Robert, & Steffener, 2017; Frasnelli, La Buissonnière Ariza, Collignon, & Lepore, 2010; Hummel, Futschik, Frasnelli, & Hüttenbrink, 2003), while phenylethenol is a more selective olfactory stimulus (Doty et al, 1978). A mixture of trigeminal/olfactory stimuli can increase intensity perception and induce stronger cerebral activation than pure olfactory or pure trigeminal stimuli (Boyle, Frasnelli, Gerber, Heinke, & Hummel, 2007; Jacquot, Monnin, & Brand, 2004; Tremblay & Frasnelli, 2018; Walliczek‐Dworschak et al, 2018). A cross‐modal integration at a central nervous level is responsible for this additive effect which can explain the significant main effect of odors in OT.…”

Clinical effects of two combinations of olfactory agents on olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection during olfactory training

“…23,24 Moreover, the nasal trigeminal nervous system is largely involved in olfactory signal processing, such as odor laterality identification and odor intensity assisted identification. 23,25,26 Thus, olfactory training can improve the odor discrimination and identification abilities of olfactory dysfunction patients, which may be correlated to the deep participation of the nasal trigeminal nervous system. Based on these present results, it has been speculated that different types of olfactory agents may function similarly in irritating the olfactory system and nasal trigeminal system.…”

Pleasantness of Binary Odor Mixtures: Rules and Prediction

“…Factors including the relative intensities of odorants, mixture complexity, component salience, trigeminal interactions (Walliczek-Dworschak et al, 2018), chemical structure, and possible peripheral interactions can influence odor mixture perception (Kay, Lowry, & Jacobs, 2003) Attempts to explain the underlying principles of binary mixture perception have mainly investigated odor quality and intensity (Atanasova et al, 2005;Berglund & Olsson, 1993;Ferreira, 2012aFerreira, , 2012bLaing, Panhuber, Willcox, & Pittman, 1984;Laing & Willcox, 1983;McNamara, Magidson, & Linster, 2007;Miyazawa, Gallagher, Preti, & Wise, 2009;Thomas-Danguin & Chastrette, 2002). Nevertheless, at present, only a few studies have attempted to investigate the pleasantness of binary mixtures.…”