2007 SCIENCE OF FRAGRANCE AWARD PRESENTED TO DR. JAY GOTTFRIED

New York, NY, 5/25/2007 –

Dr. Jay Gottfried, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, was awarded the 2007 Science of Fragrance Award in recognition of his work entitled “Olfaction beyond the olfactory bulb: From perception to memory learning modifies neural representations of smell in human olfactory cortex.” The award, which is sponsored by the Sense of Smell Institute, was developed in partnership with the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) as a means of encouraging olfactory research meaningful to the fragrance industry. It acknowledges outstanding presentations made at the annual AChemS meeting each April in Sarasota, FL.

Describing his award-winning investigation, Dr. Gottfried notes that “it is commonly held that the pleasurable properties of a smell are based on mechanisms hard-wired in the human brain.” However, there is increasing evidence that acquired knowledge and experience play a key role in the perception of odors. In fact, Gottfried’s research has show that human perception of odor hedonics can be changed at both the behavioral and neural levels. For example, he reports “a ‘neutral’ smell becomes endowed with emotional value if first experienced with an affective stimulus. This form of emotional learning is associated with perceptual improvements in odor discrimination and with neural plasticity in olfactory limbic brain structures intimately involved in emotion and memory.”

Gottfried’s work has particular significance for the fragrance industry as it suggests that consumer perceptions of fragrances can be enhanced if they are linked to potent emotional cues, perhaps through advertising, provocative brand names or package design. Furthermore, fragrance professionals may be able to improve their own olfactory skills through simple perceptual training tasks.

Dr. Gottfried is currently preparing a White Paper that will review his work as well as that of others on this topic. The finished paper will be available this fall, exclusively to members of The Fragrance Foundation.

The Sense of Smell Institute is a leading global resource for information relating to the sense of smell and its role in enhancing quality of life. It encourages exploration into the broader multi-sensory context of smell and the positive effects of fragrance on human behavior. In January, 2006, SOSI became the Research & Education Division of The Fragrance Foundation, a non-profit educational organization whose goal is to expand the appreciation and use of fragrance

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) is an international association that advances understanding of the senses of taste and smell. It encourages basic, clinical, and applied research in the chemical senses (gustation, olfaction and trigeminal sensation). The AChemS Annual Meeting is now the largest annual conference on Taste and Smell research in the world, attracting basic scientists, industry scientists, clinicians and policy makers from Europe and Asia as well as from the Americas.

For additional information contact:
Terry Molnar (212) 725-2755 ext. 228
email: tmolnar@senseofsmell.org