Smound is a perception or sense experience created from the convergence of scents and sounds in the brain. The word is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsNathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (NKI) in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.Nathan S Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Staff List, accessed 25 February 2010 /ref>
The study, which was published in ''The Journal of Neuroscience'', traced extracellular recordings from the olfactory tubercles of anesthetized mice. They found that 65% of single tubercle units responded to odours and 19% responded to auditory tones. When the tubercles were subjected to both odour and tone, 29% displayed supraadditive or suppressive responses.Journal of Neuroscience ''Smelling Sounds: Olfactory–Auditory Sensory Convergence in the Olfactory Tubercle'' Daniel W Wesson and Donald A Wilson, 24 February 2010, accessed 25 February 2010 /ref> The authors of the study have suggested that this shows some cross-modulation between the two senses.
Applications
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Scientific American
''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
'' has suggested that the results of this study could have a major impact on the study of
synesthesia
Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People who re ...
.Scientific American, ''Making scents of sounds'' Lynne Peeples, 23 February 2010, accessed 25 February 2010 /ref> The researchers plan to patent a device for sniffer dogs that would link inhaled scents with a sound, making the operations of these animals more efficient and effective.
History of the concept
The idea that sounds and scents may be linked in the brain was suggested in 1862 by G. W. Septimus Piesse, who said, "Scents, like sounds, appear to influence the olfactory nerve in certain definite degrees." Piesse also suggested that there may be an octave of odour.''The Art of Perfumery'' G. W. Septimus Piesse, London, 1862, p 25 /ref>