How does odor work as a trigger to remind "memories"?

It is experienced that everyone knows that the memories of the past are evoked by the smell, but why is the memory revived by the smell, how the odor and memory are connected is unclear in sense . So, the movie that makes me realize the mechanism hidden by the connection between smell and memories is "How Smells Trigger Memories"is.

How Smells Trigger Memories - YouTube


There is a strange smell and I remember the old days instantly. In my case, I remember "Kono" when I was a kindergarten. Everyone should have experiences that smell and memory are strongly related.


This is a physiological phenomenon called "Odor-Wvoked Autobiographical Memory" (odor-induced autobiographical memory).


Odor reminds me of past experiences. This is because odor and memory are strongly linked in the brain.


Especially, odor (odor) is known to strongly influence memory more than other senses such as visual, auditory, tactile and taste. Especially in childhood before 10 years old, it is known that odor can be tied strongly to memory.


However, from the viewpoint of the physiological phenomenon that "People remember the events around 20 years old most clearly" called "reminiscence bump", it is clear that the older one is clearer with respect to odor That is fun.


So, odor plays an important role in evoking memories.


Events memorized in odor are more perceptual than thinking.


So, scientists have studied why odor evokes memory.


What I understand is that the mechanism by which odor is sent to the brain is different from other senses such as vision. Feelings other than smell, allThalamusAlthough it is connected to the sense of smell, it is not so.


To put it briefly, it means that odor is sent directly to important parts related to the memory of the brain.


In the back of a noseOlfactory bulbThe odor which I felt in with is passed through the nerve to the brain.


The information obtained by the olfactory sense governs memory and emotionAmygdalaYaHippocampusIt is sent directly.


Because of this kind of smell and brain structure, for example, the experience of sniffing apple juice smell while playing a block toy in kindergarten reminds me of block fun from apple juice fragrance later It is connected.


The structure of the body concerning the olfactory and memory, by 2013 scholars in EuropeFMRIWas observed.


Scientists found finding out positive memories for certain odors such as whiskey.


We added smells such as flowers and fruits to odors that remind us of these good events, we smirked the subjects and observed the workings of the brain.


Then, it was observed that all the odor activates the part of the brain related to memory, but it turned out that the part activated by memories related to odor has a strong link with the part responsible for emotion. In addition, the memories that the subject remembered with odor were those before 10 years of age, and some were from 10 to 20 years old.


In addition, it turned out that the working part differs depending on when memory of event occurred.


When memories of childhood reviveOrbital frontal cortexWhile the part related to the perception of activation was activated ......


When memories later than childhood revive, the part related to conceptual memory has been activated rather than the lower left frontal gyrus.


In other words, it is understood that odor is related to the early memory of sensory events and not related to conceptual memory.


Then, can we take an exam preparation using odor?


It is impossible. Because odor reminds me of memory as perception rather than conceptual memory. You will not be able to learn the Maxwell equation with smell.