Presentation Details
THE ROLE OF THE HIGHER-ORDER BRAIN REGIONS IN OLFACTORY IDENTIFICATION

Rommy Elyan1, Qing Yang1, 2, Paul Eslinger1, 3, Arthur Berg4, Sangam Kanekar1, Will Jens3, Deepak Kalra3, Biyar Ahmed1, Senal Peiris1, Ran Pang1, Prasanna Karunanayaka1.

1Department of Radiology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hummelstown, PA, USA.2Department of Neurosurgery, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.3Department of Neurology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.4Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

Abstract


Introduction: The neurobiological basis of odor-identification remains unknown. We hypothesized that match and mismatch olfactory fMRI tasks could be used to isolate areas of odor-identification and that these areas would include primary/secondary olfactory areas in the brain. Method: Twenty-five healthy controls and eighteen MCI subjects took part in an olfactory fMRI oddball detection task. Subjects completed one pseudorandomized and counterbalanced run of the fMRI task. Subjects had to press a button with their right index finger to identify an oddball during scanning. Results: A contrast of HC>MCI, for all odor conditions, yielded activation in the left TPJ, left inferior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, and left superior temporal gyrus. These areas were significantly active during the olfactory identification task in both groups and were used as the basis for subsequent correlation analyses. Greater activation in these areas correlated with lower ID scores in HC. Although not significant, this correlation was positive in MCI. Conclusion: The differences between HC and MCI may be due to differences in sample size and in MCI severity. The left TPJ’s activity may be indicative of ventral attention network activation, a primary function of which is to attend to behaviorally relevant, salient, or unexpected stimuli.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

View Questions & Answers for this Presentation

No questions or discussion have been posted for this presentation yet. You may ask a questions using the tab above. Please note that ONLY the questions the presenter chooses to answer publicly will be posted here.



Ask A Question

You may submit a question to the presenter below. All questions may not receive a response.


View/Download Proceedings Manuscript