Lundström Johan N, Boyle Julie A, Jones-Gotman Marilyn
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Room 276, Montreal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada.
Chem Senses. 2006 Mar;31(3):249-52. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjj025. Epub 2006 Jan 4.
Previous studies have demonstrated that body position can alter auditory sensitivity. Here we demonstrate for the first time that olfactory sensitivity for the commonly used odor phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA) (rose odor) is also dependent on body position. By using successive dilutions presented in a staircase protocol, we determined olfactory thresholds for PEA in 36 healthy participants (18 women) in both an upright and a supine position. Participants had a significantly greater olfactory sensitivity when tested in an upright than a supine position, with no significant differences between the sexes. This preliminary study sets the stage for further work on the interaction between olfactory functions and our biology. The implications for olfactory neuroimaging studies are discussed.
先前的研究表明，身体姿势会改变听觉敏感度。在此我们首次证明，常用气味苯乙醇（PEA）（玫瑰气味）的嗅觉敏感度也取决于身体姿势。通过使用阶梯法呈现的连续稀释液，我们测定了36名健康参与者（18名女性）在直立位和平卧位时对PEA的嗅觉阈值。参与者在直立位测试时的嗅觉敏感度显著高于平卧位，且性别之间无显著差异。这项初步研究为进一步研究嗅觉功能与我们的生物学之间的相互作用奠定了基础。文中还讨论了其对嗅觉神经成像研究的意义。
