Smelling “Zuko”: Incense Rubbing into the Hands and Smelling the Hands Activates Specific Brain Regions

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of the smelling “Zuko”, incense rubbing into hands and putting the hands for the human brain. From our previous studies on the smelling an incense odor with putting the hands together, the activities of “Zuko” incense are also considered to be promoted as the imitation of habitual behaviors by mirror neurons and the default mode network in our brain. In this experiment, the brain activation was measured in 10 healthy adult volunteers who did or did not have a habit of putting their hands together and magneto-encephalography (MEG) data were recorded while the participants smelled “Zuko” incense and putting their hands together. The peak response of MEG P300m for the “auditory odd-ball paradigm” was also measured for a rare auditory pulse stimulation and was more enforced by the smelling “Zuko” incense. We used alpha-amylase value as an index of the stress state measured in the state before and after smelling “Zuko” and MEG experiments. From these results it can be considered that smelling “Zuko” promote the excitation of the higher activities to human brain and make changing the specific brain areas such as OFC, F5 and V1

Simultaneous Smelling an Incense Outdoor and Putting the Hands Together Activate Specific Brain Areas

Mirror neurons are involved in imitation of habitual behaviors. To increase understanding of the theory of mirror neurons and the default mode network, brain activation was explored in 11 healthy adult volunteers who did or did not have a habit of putting their hands together as if praying. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) data were recorded while the participants simultaneously smelled an odor in two kinds of incenses outdoor and/or while they moved to putting their hands together. A magnetoencephalographic contour map of the recorded findings was drawn and an estimated current dipole (ECD) was set. Regardless of a habit of putting their hands together or not, the inner lobe of the frontal area, anterior area in the temporal lobe, and F5 language area in the left frontal lobe and so on were specifically activated. We used cortisol value as an index of the stress state measured in every state (before and after smelling two different incenses outdoor). These experiments suggest that simultaneous smelling an incense outdoor and the behavior of putting their hands together increased the activity of these specific areas in the human brain due to mutual interactions and enhanced interactions

A study on human olfaction using magnetoencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging

Olfaction is a sense that is indispensable for life in animals. And since olfaction is crucial in our daily lives, it is necessary to understand its characteristics, such as how odors are evaluated correctly. We need to know, further, the sensing mechanism by which odors are perceived. Recently, the most basic principle of "signal transduction on the reception and transmission to the odor" has been clarified. The next important problem is therefore knowing how the information of odors in the "central nervous system (CNS) on the olfaction" is processed in the brain and how odor is felt in the human brain. In this report, first the mechanism of olfactory information processing in our brain will be described in light of the results obtained with non-invasive measuring methods, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI). And drawing upon recent studies, we will see that olfactory neurophysiological information passes through certain deep central regions in the brain, after which it might be processed finally with integration at the orbito-frontal areas

A study on human olfaction using magnetoencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging

Olfaction is a sense that is indispensable for life in animals. And since olfaction is crucial in our daily lives, it is necessary to understand its characteristics, such as how odors are evaluated correctly. We need to know, further, the sensing mechanism by which odors are perceived. Recently, the most basic principle of "signal transduction on the reception and transmission to the odor" has been clarified. The next important problem is therefore knowing how the information of odors in the "central nervous system (CNS) on the olfaction" is processed in the brain and how odor is felt in the human brain. In this report, first the mechanism of olfactory information processing in our brain will be described in light of the results obtained with non-invasive measuring methods, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI). And drawing upon recent studies, we will see that olfactory neurophysiological information passes through certain deep central regions in the brain, after which it might be processed finally with integration at the orbito-frontal areas

ヒト ノ ノウナイ ノ イメージング ケンキュウ ト リンショウイガク エノ オウヨウ

近年, 科学技術や医学の著しい発展・進歩によって, 最近の医療技術は大きな変革と発展を遂げて来ました. そのような医療革新技術の一つに「ヒトの脳内のイメージング法」が挙げられます. かって昔は, 人の脳を診断・治療する時, 頭の脳波を計測するか, あるいは外科的手術によって頭を開頭したり, 穴を開けたりして直接, 脳の治療を行うのが一般的でした. しかし, 最近では, 脳を外科的に開頭して治療する前に, まず最先端の種々の高度な計測技術を用いて脳の状態を外部から観察し, 脳内の構造の様子や脳の活動状態を画像として捉えられるようになっています. ここでは, 最近身近なものとなって来たこのような最先端の脳内イメージング法と, それらに関連する最近の話題をご紹介したいと思います

Research Activities in the Department of Medical Engineering

The Department of Medical Engineering is dedicated to the research and educational activities to fulfill its mission as educating medical professionals in medical engineering under the diploma policy and curriculum policy, that is, "research and education aiming for fostering professionals competent in comprehensive resolving capacity based upon a wide field of knowledge and vision in clinical engineering, which can be attained by wearing the basic knowledge of medical science and engineering." For this reason, the Faculty of the Department of Medical Engineering is composed of the two areas; PhDs in engineering-based clinical medicine, and mainly MDs in medical sciences and clinical medicine. To summarize the research activities at the Department of Medical Engineering, the authors will describe the overview of research activities being performed in the Department of Medical Engineering Fields, by dividing into 1) Research in Biomedical Engineering Fields, and 2) Research in Medical Science and Clinical Engineering Fields

Research Promotion in Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Medical Engineering - Appeal and Recommendation to the Colleague -

[Summary] Despite of the severe situations of insufficient money, labor, time, and communication, we want to promote the research activity in our university to the level of major institutions. The first step we propose is to acquire the external research grants from public resources. The specific proposal is described in grant application to increase the probability of successful adoption of the grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Japan