title: Patterns of cerebral activation during olfactory and trigeminal stimulations.
abstract: It is well known that most odorants stimulate both the olfactory system and the trigeminal system. However, the overlap between the brain processes involved in each of these sensorial perceptions is still poorly documented. This study aims to compare fMRI brain activations while smelling two odorants of a similar perceived intensity and pleasantness: phenyl ethyl alcohol (a pure olfactory stimulus) and iso-amyl-acetate (a bimodal olfactory-trigeminal stimulus) in a homogeneous sample of 15 healthy, right-handed female subjects. The analysis deals with the contrasts of brain activation patterns between these two odorant conditions. The results showed a significant recruitment of the right insular cortex, and bilaterally in the cingulate in response to the trigeminal component. These findings are discussed in relation to the characteristics of these odorants compared with those tested in previous studies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurosciences Intégratives et Cliniques, 1 Place Leclerc, Université de Franche-Comté, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lombion
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Comte
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tatu
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moulin
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Millot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D055696:Olfactory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*