The sniff is part of the olfactory percept.
In this review, we use data obtained primarily from humans to argue that sniffs are not merely a stimulus carrier but are rather a central component of the olfactory percept. We argue that sniffs 1) are necessary for the olfactory percept, 2) affect odorant intensity perception and identity perception, 3) drive activity in olfactory cortex, 4) are rapidly modulated in an odorant-dependent fashion by a dedicated olfactomotor system, and 5) are sufficient to generate an olfactory percept of some sort even in the absence of odor.
Mainland
Joel
J
Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. mainland@berkeley.edu
Sobel
Noam
N
D006801:Humans; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012119:Respiration; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*