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One nostril knows what the other learns

Author

Listed:
  • Joel D. Mainland

    (Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley)

  • Elizabeth A. Bremner

    (University of California at Berkeley)

  • Natasha Young

    (Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley
    University of California at Berkeley)

  • Brad N. Johnson

    (Program in Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley)

  • Rehan M. Khan

    (Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley)

  • Moustafa Bensafi

    (Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley)

  • Noam Sobel

    (Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley
    University of California at Berkeley
    Program in Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley)

Abstract

About 30% of the adult human population does not perceive an odour when sniffing the steroid androstenone (5-α-androst-16-en-3-one), but will become sensitive to its smell after repeated exposure to the compound1,2,3. Here we investigate the origin of the plasticity that governs this acquired ability by repeatedly exposing one nostril of non-detecting subjects to androstenone and then testing the unexposed nostril. We find that the exposed nostril and the naive nostril can both learn to recognize the smell, effectively doubling detection accuracy. As the two olfactory epithelia are not connected at the peripheral level, our results indicate that learning occurs in the brain by a mechanism that shares information from both nostrils.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel D. Mainland & Elizabeth A. Bremner & Natasha Young & Brad N. Johnson & Rehan M. Khan & Moustafa Bensafi & Noam Sobel, 2002. "One nostril knows what the other learns," Nature, Nature, vol. 419(6909), pages 802-802, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:419:y:2002:i:6909:d:10.1038_419802a
    DOI: 10.1038/419802a
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