Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2011 May-Jun;25(3):163-5. doi: 10.2500/ajra.2011.25.3634.
For olfaction, several studies have reported near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) signal changes in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during odor stimulation. However, the roles of human OFC in olfactory cognition are less well understood. This study was designed to better understand the roles of OFC for olfaction.
Hemodynamic responses for phenyl ethyl alcohol or citral in the OFCs were measured with NIRS. After the experiment, participants were asked to describe the characteristics of the odor and to rate odor intensity and hedonic valence.
Statistical analysis of all participants' data showed significant changes in the concentration of total hemoglobin in the left OFC during the trial (p = 0.04). The total hemoglobin signal increased significantly in the right OFC (p = 0.0008) of the participants who successfully identified the odorant stimulus.
Our findings showed that NIRS combined with a questionnaire is a useful method for studying the functional neuroanatomy of OFC in terms of olfaction.
已有几项研究报告称，在嗅觉刺激过程中，眶额皮层（OFC）的近红外光谱（NIRS）信号发生变化。然而，人类OFC 在嗅觉认知中的作用还不太清楚。本研究旨在更好地理解 OFC 在嗅觉中的作用。
采用 NIRS 测量苯乙醇或柠檬醛在 OFC 中的血液动力学反应。实验后，要求参与者描述气味的特征，并对气味强度和愉悦度进行评分。
对所有参与者数据的统计分析显示，在试验过程中左 OFC 中的总血红蛋白浓度发生显著变化（p = 0.04）。成功识别气味刺激的参与者右 OFC 中的总血红蛋白信号显著增加（p = 0.0008）。
我们的研究结果表明，NIRS 结合问卷是一种研究嗅觉中 OFC 功能神经解剖学的有用方法。
