Chemosensory Disorders And Psychology

Often, one of the most overlooked of the five senses is the ability to smell. Living things use it every day- from figuring out what the best scent is to eat the most delicious food to figuring out what perfume makes us the happiest (and potentially, the most attractive to others). However, smell is more than just the stench someone gives off. In fact, odor can trigger a variety of emotions. To begin the discussion on the relationship between odor and emotion, one must define what an odor is. More than just a sense, smell consists of molecules that recognized by olfactory receptors and must have a specific concentration (Yantis, 2014). With much research, a relationship between memory and odor has existed and has led to broader findings about odor and other components. According to a 2009 study, a relationship between odor and mood exists (Croy et al., 2011). However, research done regarding odor and emotion is a fairly recent interest and has gained more attention over the last few years. According to the American Psychological Association, an emotion is a “complex pattern of changes, including physiological arousal, feelings, cognitive processes, and behavioral reactions, made in response to a situation perceived to be personally significant” (APA, n.d.).

This study speaks about whether or not an alerting odor, such as peppermint, can affect attention and working memory. Research has been completed previously on the influences of odorants on cognitive functioning, physiology, behavior, and mood. From earlier research, it was resulted that a person’s atmosphere was affected in either a positive or negative way; depending on the type of smell they inhaled. If a participant smelled an unpleasant smell, it was determined that the person would have a negative change in their mood; when the participant would inhale a positive smell, their mood would change positively.

Thesis: Sleep plays an essential part in a person’s health and well-being; the way we feel while awake is dependent upon what happens to your body while asleep.

Methods: The participants, all males age 23-32, slept in a dark, quiet lab while their brain waves and eye movements were recorded. They were not aloud to sleep at all during the day when they were not in the lab because they might dream. To establish a base for the experiment, participants in the study were allowed to sleep normally for a few nights. The next few nights the participants were fully awaken every time that they started to dream. The next section was the recovery phase where they could sleep normally followed by more nights where they would be woken between

They used twenty-eight female and male participants, some with frequent others with less frequent nightmares. All participants were screened for any mental or psychological disorders. In the study, participants would have a nap, complete a task, and fill out questions on the state of their dreams and experiences. The participants would also nap for longer and then be awakened right before they entered into REM sleep. Then the participant would once again answer questions and write about their dream experiences. The questionnaire contained questioned related to the state of their dream, stress levels, nightmare frequency, etc. The participants also slept in rooms with continuous surveillance and with a polysomnography. The participants were tested on their dream and daydreaming conditions with similar procedures that were previously

represented within the studies, thereby reducing selection bias with regards to race. Wang et al. (2013) and Holmedahl et al. (2014) took the measurements at a hospital sleep center. Azuma et al. (2014) obtained study subjects from an urban wholesale company in Japan, with the measurements coming from portable monitors worn at the office and at home over the course of one week. Stanchina et al. (2013) used records from hospital outpatients. The remaining studies used measurements taken from university sleep laboratories.

A report from Science Daily reports that a study was conducted by researchers at Fudan University’s School of Basic Medical Sciences in the Department of Pharmacology and the University of Tsukuba’s International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine. This study was published in the journal Brain Structure & Function. They found “that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is suppressed by adenosine acting on a specific subtype of adenosine receptors, the A2A receptors, in the olfactory bulb” (para. 1). To conduct the research, the team used pharmacological and genetic techniques to show that blocking A2A receptors or neurons that include the A2A receptors in the olfactory bulb amplified REM sleep in rodents. The team discovered that adenosine acts specifically in the olfactory bulb which is responsible for odors from the nose to the brain. They also found that smell was reduced in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder. Lead investigator said “our findings encourage us to believe that A2A receptors may be a novel target to treat REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)by suppressing REM sleep. Our observation clearly suggests an intriguing possibility for treating this disease with an A2A receptor agonist or allosteric modulator” (para. 3). The area of the brain that is involved in sleep is called the hypothalamus. Neurons called ventrolateral preoptic (VLPO) help promote sleep by inhibiting activity in areas of the brain that maintain wakefulness. As neurotransmitters are released from VLPO neurons they reduce activity in the arousal

Sleep is a subjective phenomenon in which each individual is unique with respect to their interpretation of what normal or good sleep means to them. There has been continuous debate concerning what normal sleep means and how it is defined. It is important to understand that the physiology of sleep is constantly evolving in many individuals. For instance, sleep patterns change as one ages. While children have a greater ratio of NREM sleep in comparison to adults, adults demonstrate a greater ratio of REM sleep, compared to children. In addition to age differences, gender has also been shown to demonstrate differences in sleep, most notably in adults. For example, it has been shown that women tend to have a higher percentage of slow wave sleep (SWS) than men. Nevertheless, it is still unclear what determines the definition of normal sleep (1). A multitude of methods and tools have been created to measure normal sleep, both subjective and objective. This includes questionnaires, diaries,

Sleep can be effected in a number of different ways whether it is by the environment, your thoughts, or your pre-sleep routine, there are multiple factors involved. Many people have their own techniques that work well for them and some doctors have recommendations of their own. One tried and true technique for falling asleep is by utilizing different breathing exercises or simply focusing on the breath. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of breathing techniques on sleep.

Then when we mix the other gas with it, you will fall asleep.” the doctor explained. He then placed a large tube over my mouth and nose. I heard the noise of a machine being turned on, and then I smelt a fruity, sugary smell. After that, I don’t remember anything, because I had fallen asleep.

Some research has been done in analyzing the frequency and manifest (surface) content of dreams in individuals with sleep apnea. For instance, in “Dreams in Sleep Apnea Patients,” Gross and Lavie (1994) performed a study on the effect of sleep apnea on REM dreaming. Patients often had hundreds of apneic episodes per night, including during REM sleep—hence the interest in the ways sleep apnea affect dreaming. As opposed to analyzing the effect of external stimuli on dreaming, internal stimuli (such as increased blood pressure, accelerated heart rate, and decrease in oxygen) is scrutinized (Gross & Lavie, 1994). Thirty-three patients, majority male, participated in the study, spending 2 nights in the laboratory to be treated with CPAP (Gross

Another issue with the group of people selected to participate was the age. Sense of smell changes over time. The development of the brain is very different at ages eighteen and twenty-eight. The differences in enhanced olfactory performance could be related to the person’s age and not their anxiety level. To make the study more reflective of the general population, it would have been advisable to select people from a wider age range to account for the differences in smell due to

The components of sleep hygiene guidelines include exercise recommendations, cognitive behavior therapy, progressive muscle relaxation (guided imagery and abdominal breathing),sleep restriction and stimulus control.(L.De La Rue-Evans et al.,2012).These components address each of the domains in the theoretical model: cognitive impairments(deficits in memory, concentration and executive functioning),physical symptoms(fatigue,insomnia,headaches,tinnitus),emotions and behaviors(depression,fear,anger),functional status(IADLS-finances,work,leisure activities) and interpersonal interactions(support, relationship ,communication).(Daggett et al.,2013)Each of the concepts are related to each other and also related to the characteristics of the individual (patient demographics)and characteristics of the environment(adjusting to the society, returning to work).(Daggett et al.,2013).This explains how this model will guide in promoting a conducive sleep

There has been substantial evidence to support this claim, fMRI studies have found piriform, amygdalar and hippocampal activation to be evident with olfactory stimulation (Herz et al., 2004; Poellinger et al., 2001). A study by Herz & Cupchik (1995) found that odour-evoked autobiographical memories of paintings with emotionally positive and negative valence were enhanced when the odour and valence of the paintings were hedonically congruent. Activation was also found in the hippocampus and parahippocampal area. However,

However, only a few atmosphere-related studies have considered the role of ambient scent and its impact on consumer behavior (Chebat & Michon, 2003; Turley & Milliman, 2000). Many readers can relate to this based on these finding in that, once our senses begin to work then that trigger our behaviors. Whether it is to run away because we sense a threat or either we pull closer and buy a product because we sense a favorable condition. Either way, the senses have illicit the behavior.