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Brain waves spectral analysis of human responses to odorous and non-odorous substances: a preliminary study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2023

Xiao Hong Chow Open the ORCID record for Xiao Hong Chow [Opens in a new window] ,
Chee Ming Ting ,
Aneeza Khairiyah Wan Hamizan ,
Farah Dayana Zahedi Open the ORCID record for Farah Dayana Zahedi [Opens in a new window] ,
Hui Jan Tan ,
Rabani Remli ,
Ching Soong Khoo ,
Hernando Ombao ,
Siti Zaleha Sahibulddin  and
Salina Husain
Xiao Hong Chow
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Chee Ming Ting
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, University of Technology Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia School of Information Technology, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
Aneeza Khairiyah Wan Hamizan
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Farah Dayana Zahedi
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hui Jan Tan
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rabani Remli
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ching Soong Khoo
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hernando Ombao
Affiliation:
Biostatistics Group, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Siti Zaleha Sahibulddin
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Salina Husain*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*
Corresponding author: Salina Husain; Email: drsalina_h@ukm.edu.my
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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify the potential electrophysiological biomarkers of human responses by comparing the electroencephalogram brain wave changes towards lavender versus normal saline in a healthy human population.

Method

This study included a total of 44 participants without subjective olfactory disturbances. Lavender and normal saline were used as the olfactory stimulant and control. Electroencephalogram was recorded and power spectra were analysed by the spectral analysis for each alpha, beta, delta, theta and gamma bandwidth frequency upon exposure to lavender and normal saline independently.

Results

The oscillatory brain activities in response to the olfactory stimulant indicated that the lavender smell decreased the beta activity in the left frontal (F7 electrode) and central region (C3 electrode) with a reduction in the gamma activity in the right parietal region (P4 electrode) (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Olfactory stimulants result in changes of electrical brain activities in different brain regions, as evidenced by the topographical brain map and spectra analysis of each brain wave.

Keywords

Electroencephalographyanalysissmellolfactionbrain
Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 138 , Issue 3 , March 2024 , pp. 301 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED

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Footnotes

Salina Husain takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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