Cognitive Process

The interaction between language and olfaction is both contradictory and complex. On the one hand, it is more difficult to assign words to olfactory experience than to any of our other sensory perceptions, and higher-order olfactory cognition can operate without any linguistic involvement. For example, one need not have any verbal knowledge of what a scent is for it to elicit a full blown episodic memory. At the same time, words and verbal context have a more potent influence on the perception of scents than they do for any other sensory system. Labels and verbal suggestions can alter perception of odors to the extent of creating olfactory illusions and once the name for an odor is known olfactory sensory representations can be over-ridden by verbal-cognitive processing. In this chapter a review of research from my laboratory and supporting data from other researchers on the influence and interaction between language and olfaction will be presented. Theories for why this unique rela...

The aim of the study was the functional neurodevelopmental assessment of children with posterior fossa tumors, specifically examining whether tumor location in particular cerebellar structures determines particular neuropsychological deficits. The examined group consisted of 34 children treated between 1999 and 2007 at the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery Silesian University Medical School in Katowice, Poland. Twelve girls and 22 boys between 5 and 21 years of age were examined. The mean age was 12.3 years. There were 21 total and 8 subtotal resections of tumor, and marsupialization was performed in cases of arachnoid cysts. Hydrocephalus in 19 patients was fixed surgically. Histopathological diagnoses of tumors were as follows: 4 medulloblastomas, 8 pilocytic astrocytomas, 6 fibrillary astrocytomas, 1 anaplastic astrocytoma, 2 oligodendrogliomas, 4 anaplastic ependymomas, 1 choroid plexus papilloma, and 5 arachnoid cysts. The children were assessed by age-appropriate tests that examine higher mental functions such as cognitive processes, visual–spatial functions, verbal fluency, planning, sequential memory, and emotions. Additionally, speech examination and tests were performed. The clinical state of all patients was also evaluated, including a full neurological examination. Posterior fossa tumors can disturb normal development of higher mental functions, especially in the development of linguistic and emotional traits. Our study aimed to better understand the functional anatomy of the cerebellum in the context of behavioral changes. Exploration of the consequences of damage to posterior fossa structures may lead to a better understanding of their function in the emotional and cognitive development of children. Moreover, this work may enable the prediction of neurobehavioral disorders and offer appropriate strategies for rehabilitation, qualification, and surgical procedures.

The relationship between food flavors and postingestive feedback enables mammalian herbivores to procure nutrients and avoid toxins within ever-changing environments. We conducted four experiments with red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in captivity to determine the relative roles of color and flavor cues paired with negative postingestive feedback. We first conducted baseline tests to assess preferences for colors and flavors. All blackbirds preferred red- to blue-colored food, and they preferred umami- (l-alanine) flavored to bitter/astringent food (tannic acid). We observed no difference in consumption of salty (NaCl) vs sour (citric acid) foods during baseline tests (i.e., neutral flavors). We then conditioned experimentally naïve blackbirds with intraperitoneal injections of lithium chloride (LiCl) to avoid food treated with red and l-alanine, or red and NaCl (n=30 birds per conditioning group). Subsequent to conditioning with LiCl, three test groups were established f...

To explore the effect of salivary flow on perception of sweetness, sourness and fruitiness, 19 subjects continuously recorded perceived intensity from ingestion, through expectoration to extinction of the sensation, for each attribute in solutions sweetened with three levels of aspartame or sucrose at three levels of citric acid. Unilateral parotid flow was collected in response to the solutions at the medium acid level and used to assign subjects to low, medium and high-flow groups. For all three attributes, although the low-flow subjects reached maximum intensity later than high-flow, no significant difference in any time-intensity parameter for any attribute was found among salivary flow groups. No difference in salivary flow was elicited by equi-sweet solutions of aspartame or sucrose. Maximum intensity of sourness and salivary flow rate decreased as the level of sweeteners was raised (at a constant acid concentration) suggesting that salivary flow is mediated by cognitively pro...

This study investigated how spirituality as a positive life theme might be related to one’s unique style of cognitive processing. Study participants included 80 individuals; 40 older adults and 40 younger adults. Word recall and recognition tasks assessed memory for positive, negative, neutral, and religious words. Results indicated that spirituality does not appear to be related to cognitive bias, but that words with either positive, negative, neutral, or religious connotations are recalled and recognized at different rates.

To determine the behavioral and developmental effects of preventing iron-deficiency anemia in infancy. Healthy full-term Chilean infants who were free of iron-deficiency anemia at 6 months were assigned to high- or low-iron groups or to high- or no-added-iron groups. Behavioral/developmental outcomes at 12 months of age included overall mental and motor test scores and specific measures of motor functioning, cognitive processing, and behavior. There were no differences between high- and low-iron groups in the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia or behavioral/developmental outcome, and they were combined to form an iron-supplemented group (n = 1123) for comparison with the no-added-iron group (n = 534). At 12 months, iron-deficiency anemia was present in 3.1% and 22.6% of the supplemented and unsupplemented groups, respectively. The groups differed in specific behavioral/developmental outcomes but not on global test scores. Infants who did not receive supplemental iron processed inf...