Dr. Claudia Damhuis "Human Olfaction: Adaptation and Cross-Adaptation"Our existence in equilibrium with our physical surroundings is made possible by multiple physiological structures and processes. Olfaction describes one of these mechanisms: it allows us to subsist in sync with our sensory world by way of adapting, or getting accustomed to odorants. The rates at which we develop this olfactory equilibrium (adaptation) as well as the time it takes us to exhaust the equilibrium (recovery) differ. This is due to various aspects, such as individual differences in olfaction, individual experiences with the odorant, the chemical structure and concentration of the odorant, and the presence of another odorant (cross-adaptation).
Dr. Michelle Gallagher "Investigating Human Skin Oder: What Can We Learn From Doogie Howser"
Skin is the body’s largest organ. Skin odorants should change with age, differ with gender and may provide biomarkers of abnormal changes. Dogs have demonstrated the ability to detect melanoma based on skin volatiles (1). We performed comprehensive analyses of skin constituents from 23 healthy human subjects to identify volatile metabolites (substances that take part in a chemical reaction in the body) and assess how they vary between subjects. Understanding the natural variation of metabolites from healthy subjects provides a baseline from which to assess abnormalities and diagnose disease.
Dr. Arun Chaudury "Chemical Senses of the Gastrointestinal Tract"
In this talk, Dr. Chaudury will focus on a few vignettes to show you the fascinating world of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The gut is a long tubular organ, and though at first glance looks deceptively simple, actually plays important roles in sensing the external physico-chemical environment. Apart from storing, digesting and moving food through different parts of the gut, this organ also senses toxins which enter the body and in turn produce wide range of responses like diminished appetite, or even engage powerful reflexes like vomiting and diarrhea to clean the system. Interestingly, the gut is also the largest endocrine organ of the body. The enterochromaffin cells, which are the endocrine cells of the GI tract, express a number of receptors to detect chemicals (including taste receptors, that are normally found on the tongue) and synthesize a plethora of small molecules like serotonin to detect chemical substances (like nutrients and poisons) within its lumen. On sensing a toxin, these chemicals are released from endocrine cells of the gut and activate intestinal nerves which carry this toxic information from the periphery to the brain in order to produce vomiting to purge the system out of the toxin and a sensation of nausea to prevent further consumption of the poison.
Dr. Kristen Field "Chemical Senses and Animal Behavior: Smell, Taste, and Irritation in the Animal World"
Ecology seeks to understand the relationships that occur between organisms and their environments. This session will focus on how animals use their chemical senses in order to respond to and interact with other living things in their environment. We will explore a series of case studies in order to sample the different ways that chemical sensation affects important components of animal life, such as social organization, predator-prey interactions, foraging, and mate choice. I will discuss the methodology and scientific rationale used to investigate these featured systems. My goal of is to extend the students’ appreciation of the diversity of animal behavior and gain exposure to the processes involved in doing science.