Cross-Modal Interactions between Olfaction and Vision When Grasping

Abstract

This study used kinematics to investigate the integration between vision and olfaction during grasping movements. Participants were requested to smell an odorant and then grasp an object presented in central vision. The results indicate that if the target was small (e.g., a strawberry), the time and amplitude of maximum hand aperture were later and greater, respectively, when the odor evoked a larger object (e.g., an orange) than when the odor evoked an object of a similar size as the target or no odor was presented. Conversely, the time and amplitude of maximum hand aperture were earlier and reduced, respectively, when the target was large (e.g., a peach) and the odor evoked a smaller sized object (e.g., an almond) than when the odor evoked an object of a similar size as the target or no odor was presented. Taken together, these results support the evidence of cross-modal links between olfaction and vision and extend this notion to goal-directed actions.

Exposure to Androstenes Influences Processing of Emotional Words

“…For instance, we automatically adjust the spread of our fingers to match the size of an object when grasping. However, if we smell the odor of an orange when grasping a strawberry the amplitude of our hand opening will be larger than when the odor evokes an object of a similar size as the target; conversely, if we smell the odor of a small object (e.g., an almond) when grasping a large item (e.g., a peach) the amplitude of hand opening is reduced (Castiello et al, 2006). Odorants presented at a sub-threshold level, and thus not consciously perceived, can affect visual processing by facilitating the identification of an object in a complex scene that is congruent with the odor (e.g., looking at the picture of an orange among 12 other items after being exposed to orange odor; Seigneuric et al, 2010).…”

Implicit olfactory abilities in traumatic brain injured patients

“…These variables were those that have been most effective in revealing the effects of task-irrelevant information upon the unfolding of grasping movements (Castiello, 1999;Castiello et al, 2006). Maximum grip aperture was studied by analyzing the maximum distance in millimeters between the markers located on the tip of the thumb and the index finger.…”

“…Recent research concerning the role of olfaction in sensorimotor control might help this endeavor (Castiello, Zucco, Parma, Ansuini, & Tirindelli, 2006;Tubaldi, Ansuini, Demattè, Tirindelli, & Castiello, 2008;. In these experiments, participants were presented with an odor evoking either a small or a large object.…”

The Effects of Task-Irrelevant Olfactory Information on the Planning and the Execution of Reach-to-Grasp Movements

“…Here, we wanted to investigate whether the interfering effect that the size of an odor has on the execution of a reach-to-grasp movement, as previously demonstrated when participants did not know the nature of the to-begrasped target before movement initiation (Castiello et al 2006;Tubaldi et al 2008a, b), fades away when the participants know in advance the nature of the visual target. If previous knowledge of the visual target allows for an efficient filtering of irrelevant olfactory information, then no effects on movement kinematics and reach duration should be evident.…”

“…This was a reasonable question to ask given that olfaction, as other modalities, has the ability to convey information that is relevant for interacting with objects (e.g., shape, size). In a series of studies (Castiello et al 2006;Tubaldi et al 2008a, b; see also Rossi et al 2008), participants were requested to reach towards and grasp a small or a large visual target in the absence or in the presence of an odor evoking either a small or a large object. When the "size" of the object evoked by the odor did not coincide with that for the visual target, interference effects were evident on the kinematics of hand shaping.…”