Chemosensory Function in Congenitally Blind or Deaf Teenagers

Güdücü, Çağdaş; Öniz, Adile; İkiz, Ahmet Ömer; Özgören, Murat

doi:10.1007/s12078-015-9199-2

Cited by 17 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…It is very interesting that there seemed to be no transfer of sensory function for odor localization in most of the blind people. Our results are consistent with numerous studies regarding null effects of visual impairment on performance in various olfactory tasks (e.g., Cornell Kärnekull, Arshamian, Nilsson, & Larsson, 2016; Guducu, Oniz, Ikiz, & Ozgoren, 2016; Luers et al, 2014; Majchrzak, Eberhard, Kalaus, & Wagner, 2017; Smith, Doty, Burlingame, & McKeown, 1993; Sorokowska, 2016; for a recent review and meta-analysis on this issue, see Sorokowska, Sorokowski, Karwowski, Larsson, & Hummel, 2019). This pattern of findings suggests that the effect of blindness on olfactory functions is not a simple reaction of the organism to a sensory loss (for a review see: Kupers & Ptito, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Odor lateralization and spatial localization: Null effects of blindness

Sorokowska

Oleszkiewicz

Stefańczyk

et al. 2019

Atten Percept Psychophys

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People can navigate through an environment using different sensory information, including olfactory cues. Correct intranasal localization and external location of odors can be learned, and some people are able to lateralize olfactory stimuli above chance, which raises the question: What determines the spectrum of olfactory localization abilities. Here, we explored whether odor lateralization and localization abilities are increased in the course of sensory compensation. In a series of studies, we combined two different aspects of odor localization. Study 1 compared abilities of 69 blind people ( M age = 41 ± 1.6 years; 32 females) and 45 sighted controls ( M age = 38.3 ± 2.1 years; 25 females) to correctly lateralize eucalyptol, an odorant with a strong trigeminal component, presented to either nostril. Studies 2 and 3 involved a more ecologically valid task, namely spatial localization of olfactory stimuli. In Study 2, 13 blind individuals ( M age = 28.5 ± 3.5 years; seven females) and 16 sighted controls ( M age = 34.9 ± 3.2 years; ten females) tried to localize a single odorant, while in Study 3, 97 blind individuals ( M age = 43.1 ± .5 years; 48 females) and 47 sighted controls ( M age = 38.7 ± .7 years; 27 females) attempted to localize a single target odor in an experimental olfactory space comprising four different odorants. Blind and sighted subjects did not differ in their abilities to lateralize and to localize odors, and their performance across all tasks suggests that odor lateralization and localization are important for navigation in an environment regardless of visual status.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Odor lateralization and spatial localization: Null effects of blindness

Sorokowska

Oleszkiewicz

Stefańczyk

et al. 2019

Atten Percept Psychophys

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“…It should be noted that the different level of sensory compensation for audition and olfaction in the case of mate selection might have resulted from other factors. Contrary to a number of studies consistently reporting superior auditory processing among blind people (Lessard, Paré, Lepore, & Lassonde, 1998 ; Lewald, 2002 , for a review, see Kupers & Ptito, 2014 ), results of studies on objective olfactory sensitivity often show that it is not significantly higher among blind people (Guducu, Oniz, Ikiz, & Ozgoren, 2016 ; Luers et al, 2014 ; Sorokowska, 2016 ; for a review, see Kupers & Ptito, 2014 ), even if they report higher olfactory awareness (Beaulieu-Lefebvre et al, 2011 ; Ferdenzi et al, 2010 ) and can discriminate negative emotions based on body odor samples (Iversen et al, 2015 ). Thus, given similar performance of blind and sighted people in various smell tasks, olfactory sensory compensation may not be particularly pronounced in visual impairment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

A Compensatory Effect on Mate Selection? Importance of Auditory, Olfactory, and Tactile Cues in Partner Choice among Blind and Sighted Individuals

2018

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Human attractiveness is a potent social variable, and people assess their potential partners based on input from a range of sensory modalities. Among all sensory cues, visual signals are typically considered to be the most important and most salient source of information. However, it remains unclear how people without sight assess others. In the current study, we explored the relative importance of sensory modalities other than vision (smell, touch, and audition) in the assessment of same- and opposite-sex strangers. We specifically focused on possible sensory compensation in mate selection, defined as enhanced importance of modalities other than vision among blind individuals in their choice of potential partners. Data were obtained from a total of 119 participants, of whom 78 were blind people aged between 16 and 65 years (M = 42.4, SD = 12.6; 38 females) and a control sample of 41 sighted people aged between 20 and 64. As hypothesized, we observed a compensatory effect of blindness on auditory perception. Our data indicate that visual impairment increases the importance of audition in different types of social assessments for both sexes and in mate choice for blind men.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10508-018-1156-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Studies of odor identification using a forced-choice paradigm, on the other hand, show no differences between blind people and controls (e.g., Beaulieu-Lefebvre et al, 2011;Ç omog˘lu et al, 2015;Cuevas et al, 2010;Cuevas et al, 2009;Guducu et al, 2016;Iversen, Ptito, Møller, & Kupers, 2015;Luers et al, 2014;Rosenbluth et al, 2000;Smith et al, 1993;Sorokowska, 2016); although it appears blind people might be better at identifying emotions such as fear and disgust from sweat smells (Iversen et al, 2015).…”

Section: Plasticity and Sensory Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Makes a Better Smeller?

et al. 2017

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Olfaction is often viewed as difficult, yet the empirical evidence suggests a different picture. A closer look shows people around the world differ in their ability to detect, discriminate, and name odors. This gives rise to the question of what influences our ability to smell. Instead of focusing on olfactory deficiencies, this review presents a positive perspective by focusing on factors that make someone a better smeller. We consider three driving forces in improving olfactory ability: one's biological makeup, one's experience, and the environment. For each factor, we consider aspects proposed to improve odor perception and critically examine the evidence; as well as introducing lesser discussed areas. In terms of biology, there are cases of neurodiversity, such as olfactory synesthesia, that serve to enhance olfactory ability. Our lifetime experience, be it typical development or unique training experience, can also modify the trajectory of olfaction. Finally, our odor environment, in terms of ambient odor or culinary traditions, can

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Chemosensory Function in Congenitally Blind or Deaf Teenagers

Cited by 17 publications

References 21 publications

Odor lateralization and spatial localization: Null effects of blindness

Odor lateralization and spatial localization: Null effects of blindness

A Compensatory Effect on Mate Selection? Importance of Auditory, Olfactory, and Tactile Cues in Partner Choice among Blind and Sighted Individuals

What Makes a Better Smeller?

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