Color of Scents: Chromatic Stimuli Modulate Odor Responses in the Human Brain
Abstract
Color has a profound effect on the perception of odors. For example, strawberry-flavored drinks smell more pleasant when colored red than green and descriptions of the "nose" of a wine are dramatically influenced by its color. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we demonstrate a neurophysiological correlate of these cross-modal visual influences on olfactory perception. Subjects were scanned while exposed either to odors or colors in isolation or to color-odor combinations that were rated on the basis of how well they were perceived to match. Activity in caudal regions of the orbitofrontal cortex and in the insular cortex increased progressively with the perceived congruency of the odor-color pairs. These findings demonstrate the neuronal correlates of olfactory response modulation by color cues in brain areas previously identified as encoding the hedonic value of smells.
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Congruent combinations of colour and orthonasally presented odours lead to enhanced activation in the OFC.
“Congruent combinations of colour and orthonasally presented odours have been shown to lead to enhanced activation in the OFC [171].”
From The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Sensory Factors in Sweetness Perception of Food and Beverages: A Review (2019) · cites this paper as [171]
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- Authors
- Österbauer, R. A., Matthews, P. M., Jenkinson, M., Beckmann, C. F., Hansen, P. C., & Calvert, G. A.
- Affiliations
- John Radcliffe Hospital (GB)
- Venue
- Journal of Neurophysiology
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Published
- 2005-06
- Volume
- 93
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 3434-3441
- ISSN
- 0022-3077 (ISSN-L)
- 1522-1598
- OpenAlex
- W2068863442
- Cited by
- 193
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 1.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Neurophysiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Ion Channels and Receptors
- Keywords
- cross-modal perception, olfactory perception, orbitofrontal cortex, insula, brain activity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Color, Color Perception, Discrimination Learning, Emotions, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Odorants, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Psychophysics, Reaction Time, Smell
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