The importance of olfaction for newborns,especially for mother-associated odors is well known.Olfactory receptor neurons were found in preterm infants as early as 24–27 weeks of gestation[1].Therefore,it can be assum...The importance of olfaction for newborns,especially for mother-associated odors is well known.Olfactory receptor neurons were found in preterm infants as early as 24–27 weeks of gestation[1].Therefore,it can be assumed that the olfactory sense is functioning in preterm infants[2],but only very little is known about olfactory processing at this age.Most studies dealing with the processing of olfactory stimuli have been conducted on mature infants.However,in 2001 a research group demonstrated,using near-infrared spectroscopy,that a change in blood oxygenation of premature infants could be detected in the orbitofrontal cortex after olfactory stimulation with disinfectant and detergent[3].Electroencephalogram(EEG)techniques have broadly been used to measure central odor processing in adults and children[4,5,6].展开更多
文摘The importance of olfaction for newborns,especially for mother-associated odors is well known.Olfactory receptor neurons were found in preterm infants as early as 24–27 weeks of gestation[1].Therefore,it can be assumed that the olfactory sense is functioning in preterm infants[2],but only very little is known about olfactory processing at this age.Most studies dealing with the processing of olfactory stimuli have been conducted on mature infants.However,in 2001 a research group demonstrated,using near-infrared spectroscopy,that a change in blood oxygenation of premature infants could be detected in the orbitofrontal cortex after olfactory stimulation with disinfectant and detergent[3].Electroencephalogram(EEG)techniques have broadly been used to measure central odor processing in adults and children[4,5,6].