<\/p>\n
So why is it that when you smell certain things it brings back a memory.
\n I can smell this certain smell and it brings back memories a christmas
\nmorning like 20 or 21 years ago. I can’t describe this smell, but it is
\nvery specific and I know when I smell it. I was driving to work this
\nmorning and there it was, this smell, and all of a sudden I thought of
\nChristmas when I was like 4. Well if you are wondering why this happens,
\nhere’s the reason. Although I’m sure it’s more scientific than most of
\nyou would like…sorry!<\/p>\n
Inside your nose about the level of your eyes, is a small patch of
\ntissue containing millions of nerve cells. The odor receptors (sensors)
\nlie on these nerve cells. Each of the receptors recognizes several
\nodors, and likewise a single odor could be recognized by several
\nreceptors. So, similar to codes, what happens is that different
\ncombinations of the 1,000 receptors result in our ability to identify
\n10,000 different odors. The process that takes place is pretty complex.
\nAfter an odor molecule enters the nose and are recognized by the
\nolfactory sensors, the signals are eventually sent to the olfactory bulb
\nthat is located right above the eyes. The signals only go to two areas
\nin the olfactory bulb, and signals from different sensors are targeted
\nto different spots that then form a sensory map. From there the signals
\nreach the olfactory area of the cortex (smell sensory cortex). An
\nimportant quality of the olfactory system is that information travels
\nboth to the limbic system and cortex. The limbic system is the primitive
\npart of the brain that include areas that control emotions, memory and
\nbehavior. In comparison the cortex is the outer part of the brain that
\nhas to do with conscious thought. In addition to these two areas,
\ninformation also travels to the taste sensory cortex to create the sense
\nof flavor. Because olfactory information goes to both the primitive and
\ncomplex part of the brain it effects our actions in more ways than we
\nthink.
\nMany people wonder how certain smells able to trigger memories of
\nevents taking place several years ago despite the fact that sensory
\nneurons in the epithelium survive for about only 60 days. The answer is
\nthat the neurons in the epithelium actually have successors. As the
\nolfactory neurons die, new olfactory neurons generated by the layer of
\nstem cells beneath them, which eventually takes the role of the old
\nneuron as it dies. The key point to the answer is that “memories survive
\nbecause the axons of neurons that express the same receptor always go to
\nthe same place”. The memories are stored in the hippocampus, and through
\nrelational memory certain smells trigger memories.<\/p>\n
Well, I hope you didn’t fall asleep reading that…I know what you’re
\nthining, your a NERD. And to that I say, I’ve told you I was a science
\nnerd before. Live with it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So why is it that when you smell certain things it brings back a memory. I can smell this certain smell and it brings back memories a christmas morning like 20 or 21 years ago. I can’t describe this smell, … Continue reading