Electro-olfactography or electroolfactography (EOG) is a type of electrography (
electrophysiologic
Electrophysiology (from Greek , ''ēlektron'', "amber" etymology of "electron"">Electron#Etymology">etymology of "electron" , ''physis'', "nature, origin"; and , ''-logia'') is the branch of physiology that studies the electrical properties of bi ...
test) that aids the study of
olfaction (the sense of smell). It measures and records the changing electrical potentials of the
olfactory epithelium
The olfactory epithelium is a specialized epithelial tissue inside the nasal cavity that is involved in smell. In humans, it measures
9 cm2 and lies on the roof of the nasal cavity about 7 cm above and behind the nostrils. The olfactory ...
,
in a way similar to how other forms of electrography (such as
ECG
Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...
,
EEG
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...
, and
EMG) measure and record other
bioelectric activity.
Electro-olfactography has been used for decades to advance the
basic science
Basic research, also called pure research or fundamental research, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenomena. In contrast, applied researc ...
of smell,
although the advances in
molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...
in recent decades have expanded olfactory science beyond the knowledge that the electrical recordings of electro-olfactography alone could provide.
Electro-olfactography is closely related to
electroantennography, the electrography of insect antennae olfaction.
Neuroscientist David Ottoson (1918-2001) discovered the electro-olfactogram (EOG) and analysed its properties in great detail.
References
External links
Search PubMed for "electroolfactogram"
Electrophysiology
Mathematics in medicine
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