Aroma Inhalation The “Smell Brain” Neocortex
Thalamus Olfactory Bulb
Limbic System
Olfactory Receptors
Hypothalamus (Automatic Nervous System)
Odor Molecules
Pituitary
Thyroid Gland
Adrenal Glands
Reproductive Glands
Digestive Hormones
The Limbic System: “smell brain”
Besides being a center of scent receptors, the limbic system is the storehouse for all of our past emotional responses.18 It is located deep within the medial temporal lobe of the brain and includes the hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate gyrus, thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, the mammillary body, and other organs, many of which are of particular relevance to the processing of memory.19 The result is that we have both a past and present sense memory available to us at all times. Helen Keller said: Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived.20 18 “Parts of the Brain,” www.human-memory.net/brain_parts.html. 19 Ibid. 20 Helen Keller, attr. thinkexist.com/quotation/smell_is_a_potent_wizard_that_transports _you/209065.html. 18 Two