You Taste What You See

     In Chapter 5, we learnt about our sense of taste, and the different ways we do so with other senses involved. Specifically the part where we can visually taste what we are seeing to interpret how good or bad something will be. Research in the text also clarifies this what we see and what we don't heavily influences how much we will want to eat something. In others words, presentation is literally everything to a point. For instance when taking sips of drinks when you are unable to see them can drop your ability to identify between them by at least twenty percent. 

    Texture can also influence how flavorful food can be for instance ice cream with it's creamy texture or gelato. Another factor is that your eyes taste food, and whether or not it's appealing will decide if you want to eat a lot or if you want to eat a little. Brain scanning studies also show that humans when smelling food to see if it's expired have visual receptors that become stimulated in the process. In addition, if you don't see something that's usually there with a drink or food that you're familiar with it's lack there of can decrease in flavor and won't taste as appetizing. 

The Extraordinary Powers of Our Five Senses, Lawrence D. Rosenblum

CIP: When You Can't Feel Pain

 Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) is an extraordinarily rare condition in which a person cannot feel and has not felt physical pain. This hereditary disease affects nerves controlling sensation such as pain and autonomic nerves that control biological functions, like sweating. In one category, the nervous system fails to develop, while analgesia (meaning from birth), the nervous develops, but does not function.

Neurotypically, we move away when something feels hot to the touch. That is because the sensory receptors on the pads of our fingers and palms send a signal through our arm muscles and to the brain and spinal cord where the connection can be made. Thus, we pull our hand away quickly from something sharp or hot. The lack of pain awareness often leads to wounds, bruises, broken bones, bleeding, and a plethora of other serious and life threatening issues that may go unnoticed. CIP results in a mutation in the SCN9A gene that encodes a protein called Navl.7 that is essential for initiating pain signals between neurons. Interestingly enough, people with this rare disease also can lose their sense of smell, which is called anosmia. This is due to the fact that the disease affects the peripheral nervous system, which incorporates sensations such as touch, smell, and pain.
CIP can also occur due to use of certain drugs or medications such as tricyclic antidepressants and narcotics. In addition, this disease can develop in utero due to toxins affecting the developing baby.
Although individuals with this disease can feel a difference between something that is hot cold, rough and soft, or sharp and dull, it is the degree of sense that they lack; Drinking a hot beverage and not knowing that they burnt their tongue. There is currently no cure for CIP/A, however there are lifestyle changes that people can make to be safe and avoid injuries. 

The perception of touch

 In the article, " Why Do We All Feel Touch Differently?" the author describes new research that shows a new circut in the primary somatsensory cortex, which is the part of the brain that contributes to our sense of touch.  He talks about how this new circuit "helps the brain figure out how to balance the stimulation coming from outside the body with existing knowledge." (Gluck, 2022).  He explains how perception has to do with your brain's processes of taking in your enviornment, but also your prior knowledge of the world around you and your experiences. Chen states in the article that "when you’re perceiving the world around you, your brain does a combination of processing the stimuli that make up the scene, but it also tries to fill information based on what you’ve learned in the past to help you interpret what you’re sensing." (Gluck, 2022). This is why people feel touch differently; why someone could have a higher pain tolerance then another or be triggered by a certain touch after a traumtic experience. 

This study is not only interesting, but is revolutionary when it comes to the study of neurological disorders that affect sensory perception. Learning that there is a new circuit within the brain that percevies sensory information can help us discover new treatments based around this circuit. It could be the answer to helping someone with alzhimers or autism. Chen and his team were able to see the different neurons within the primary somatosensory coretx and the reactions that came when an animal touched an object and what changed within the neurons when the environment was rearranged. 

This new information on the brain is exciting considering it could lead to treatments of various neurological disorders. For me, this information is important to me and my future career as an Occupational Therapist, since sensory processing disorders are where I want to focus my work and research. 

Refrence 

Gluck, M. O., & Thurston, A. (2022, January 6). Why do we all feel touch differently? Boston University. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/illuminating-the-sense-of-touch-new-neurobiology-research/ 

Tadoma

 Tadoma is a method of communication that is used by the deafblind people. They feel the jawline and the lips of a person they are communicating with to feel the vibration of what they are saying. This has been found to be an effective way to communicate with others for people that are deafblind. From my personal experience, I have known that there were people that were blind or deaf and there were ways to communicate to them in some way. I had no idea that this was a thing where a person would put one hand on a jawline and another on their lips to feel what a person is saying. This is truly a fascinating way of communication and the fact that it is proven to be effective is amazing to see. 

Anosmia and Symmetry sense

 Anosmia is the loss of sense of smell that could be total or partial loss of smell. Anosmia may be caused by head injury, infection, or blockage of the nose. Also anosmia could be temporarily lost or permanent loss of smell. This disease is difficult to cure. This disease also makes it difficult to taste foods. Interesting to know it also affects individuals sexual relationship interactions. For example human being sexual arousal starts with smelling pheromones'.

 Most importantly I discovered that Anosmia and Symmetry work together. Symmetry is a sense of smell that seeks out a particular smell known as pheromones' from individuals, which increase sexual attraction and intimacy. If anosmia and symmetry are not functioning correctly, your sense of smell is not working properly. Quite often, in spite of being vaccinated I awake in the morning with a stuffy or clogged nose so I thought it was. In all reality it's a case of anosmia which is the lack of ability to smell. I have noticed and witnessed my behavior upon awakening in this condition is crankier and irritable which affects me and others surrounding me. It amazes me how I could put things in a better perspective and identify what and why Iam feeling these emotions. I love this course! I must admit I never heard of the word anosmia before, I thought it was similar to the disease insomnia and boy was I wrong.

Rosenblum, L. D. (2011). See what I'm saying: the extraordinary powers of our five senses. W.W. Norton.

Symmetry and Pheromones

     Often times when referring to symmetry we think of equal, similar parts to things. In our book, "The Extraordinary Powers of Our Five Senses," by Lawrence Rosenblum, it is introduced that we unconsciously smell others body symmetry. Research shows that males with higher symmetry have more intimate partners, and have better genetic health. Those with lower symmetry usually have worse physical and mental health along with IQ. Information acquired shows women during their cycles can smell the odor of physiological processes that relate to men's symmetry. The degree of a mans symmetry relates to how attractive a man is to a woman. A woman who isn't on her cycle will notice no difference or not have a preference.

    Pheromones also play their part in the processes. For instance the signaler pheromones send information to the sender regarding sex, kin, and potential of reproduction. Modulator pheromones are said to regulate mood and emotion to the receiving end. There are also releaser pheromones and they are chemically sent when detected by the same species. These can also influence our behavior on how we react to things.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1689917/

ASMR

 Autonomous sensory meridian response, also known as ASMR, is a tingling sensation that begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck, upper spine, and shoulders. ASMR is a subjective experience of “low-grade euphoria” and also called a brain orgasm with the flood of pleasure and relaxation one can receive from ASMR. There are various stimuli referred to as triggers that are commonly auditory and visual but can also be tactile. Whispering, eating food, trickling water, and stroking objects are just some examples of ASMR stimuli or brain tingles. This form of pleasant entertainment is actually proven to promote oxytocin and raise GABA levels, a neurotransmitter responsible for producing a calming effect.

A study shows that participants who listened to ASMR had lower heart rate, 3.14 beats per minute lower, than non-participants. In addition, people also report physiological and emotional changes as well. Overall, ASMR has been proven to help those with sleep disturbances such as insomnia, as it promotes relation to the body and brain.

So why is it that when people eating a bag of chips nearby is annoying, but the enhanced sound is satisfying? Like I mentioned prior, it is a heightened sensory experience with zero distractions. It increases endorphins and with the special microphones that professionals use, it targets a specific part of the auditory system and brain to ultimately result in utter relaxation.

ASMR Could Have Health Benefits Beyond The Brain Tingles, Study Suggests (forbes.com)

Tadoma

 

Tadoma is another method of communicating with individuals for those who are blind. This is easily done and it is also shown above and below when a deafblind person places their hand on another person's lip and jawline. This method of communicating allows the blind individual to pick up the vibration of the speaker and their jaw movement with their fingers as the speaker talks to them. This has been an effective way for deafblind people to communicate with others.

    In my first semester of college, I took an ASL class and my professor had us go to conventions for deaf people. I grew a stronger appreciation for everything and the strength of those who are unable to see and hear. I met someone who was deaf and blind and had him communicate the same way these pictures and the book described it. It amazes me that as humans we are capable of communicating with others other than speaking. Feeling the vibration of someone else's voice is truly something that has to be mastered.  

https://www.cdb.org.il/en/communication-methods/tadoma/

Synesthesia

    Synesthesia is known as a systematic and involuntary sensory experience by an unrelated stimulus. This happens to those who have a neurological condition that stimulates different senses. This is seen as seeing numbers or letters. This occurs when the brain gives out a different response to the stimuli. I find this incredible and makes me think about Sheldon on Young Shelod and Big Bang Theory. I always wanted to understand how his brain worked ( I know it is a TV show and not real) but it is fascinating how the writers and producers put this into a very descriptive way that portrayed synesthesia. 

    There are multiple theories that could explain why this occurs such as cross-connections that begin at a later stage. Eliminating certain types of signals from the sensory brain areas. I wish I had the opportunity to speak with someone with this, I feel like our brains are much more powerful than we know. What if we are supposed to see things in colors and have synesthesia? It makes you wonder. 

https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-synesthesia#:~:text=Synesthesia%20is%20when%20you%20hear,%22Alex%22%20and%20see%20green.

Uncanny Valley

 My worst habit that I have is having to yawn right after someone did. It creates a domino effect when one person yawns another person has to. This is an example of mirroring without even noticing that is what we are actually doing. Mirroring someone allows us to bond, this shows a sign of trust and empathy around the people we tend to mirror.

An example of this is hanging out with your friend or with your significant other for a decent amount of time where their word choices or body language changes to yours. You start to bring a piece of them in yourself. As B.F. Skinner said your environment truly impacts your behavior. We do not notice that we pick up these patterns from them because we are mirroring them. 

https://www.simplypsychology.org/uncanny-valley.html#:~:text=For%20instance%2C%20while%20a%20human,and%20remove%20the%20uncanny%20effect.

Echo Location

I decided to post on the recent discoveries of echo location. The definition of echo location is the location of objects by reflected sound, in a particular that used by animals such as dolphins and bats. I found this pretty interesting being that humans share the same sense of echo location. Recently reading the 1st chapter in a book titled See What I'm Saying by Lawrence Rosenblum. I discovered that a blind individuals use's sound to locate objects and most importantly to see. Not only do bling individual uses echo location all human being do as well. An example of this is when I hear birds staring to chirp, I know the sun is about to rise and the sky is going to turn from dark to light soon. Also depending on the volume and the amount of the birds chirping you can almost predict that it going to be a nice sunny day without out watching the whether forecast. I choose echo location because I wanted to inform others that echo location does not only exist in animals that human beings share the same sense as well. In fact we use echo location daily. Echo location allows the brain to perceive space based on sound that are virtually silent. (Rosenblum pg.22)

The Auditory Approach System

 The auditory approach system can allow a person to predict what is going to happen in the near future. 

This can also help a visually impaired person know when a they can cross a street with the help they get from others. For the people that have been impaired for an extended amount of time, they tend to be able correctly predict that visible object approaching. For a non impaired person that did an experiment, they tend to "over anticipate" when something approaches. This can be improved due to the plasticity of the auditory approach system. For the auditory approach warning system, it can accurately predict what can happen due to cues that can be triggered just moments past.     

I was surprised by the auditory approach system because personally, I do not think about the cues that will happen in the future and will focus on what is in front of me. After reading about the auditory approach system, I was surprised on how beneficial it is to listen for the future such as walking down the street, hearing a loud sportscar coming meant to me that they will speed across from my view in the matter of seconds due to the revving of the engine. Closing my eyes for 2 seconds only enhanced the auditory cue that a car/object is coming. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOrAGVzXWz8

This video shows how audio cues can be used, where it can give a warning in a warehouse and reduces the tendency of injuries that are caused in the workplace due to auditory warnings. 

Rosenblum, L.D. (2011). See What I'm Saying: The Extraordinary Powers of Our Senses. W.W Norton

Cochlear Implants & Music Perception

Post 1- Cochlear Implants and Music Interpretation

Cochlear implantation is an effective and safe treatment for clinically deaf individuals all over the world. The purpose of a cochlear implant is to partially restore a sense of hearing. This electronic device is more beneficial than hearing aids because the implant bypasses sound past the damage of the inner ear to allow sounds to be interpreted.
But for implant users, music is interpreted differently than our non-hard of hearing individuals. Enjoyment of music is linked to the recognition of a familiar song or tune, so the ability to identify familiar songs is a common assessment of cochlear implant music perception. Not only can implant users understand speech sounds, they can now perceive nonspeech sounds such as music. Hugh J. McDermott, writer of “Music Perception with Cochlear Implants” reviews experimental results with psychophysical observations and device function can enhance implant users' experience with music perception. As discussed in the article, McDermott mentions that the conversion of sound input levels into electric stimulation levels most likely results in a loudness perception for complex sounds that differs between implant users and normally hearing listeners (McDemott). In essence, a cochlear implant user needs to have a wider range of frequency than understanding speech which has a narrow range. Temporal elements describe how the brain connects different regions to process musical and vocal sounds. With this stimulation in the brain, individuals are able to understand music without lyrics better than with lyrics. There are a plethora of factors influencing how users of cochlear implants use and perceive music, as stated in McDermott’s article and from cochlear implant users. 

Attached is an example of a piano playing a simple tune heard by a person with no issues with hearing and another of the same piano tune heard by a cochlear implant. As a non-hard of hearing person, the simulation of the piano through the implant was unpleasant and even terrifying to listen to. 

Cochlear Implant (CI) Technology and Music: Music Perception, Music Enjoyment, Cochlear Implant Simulations of Music | Iowa Head and Neck Protocols (uiowa.edu)

In essence, people who have cochlear implants hear music differently than those who are hearing, and even with hearing aids.

Chapter 3 - You Smell Like a Dog

In chapter three of See What I'm Saying: The Extraordinary Powers of Our Five Senses, author Lawrence Rosenblum referenced several studies and anecdotes involving mothers and their ability to smell their own children, and mentioned experiments studying kin identification. These stories triggered a memory for me. I have three kids, the older two are my natural children, meaning I carried them myself. They were 8 and 9 years old when we received a surprise phone call about a newborn baby who needed a home. Who says no to a perfectly good baby, right? My husband and I met her the same day we found out she existed, when she was about 8 hrs old. Two days later, she was under our guardianship and I spent as much time as I could with her at the hospital in the NICU. She came home, and my whole family embraced her. So, the memory goes like this… She had been with us for about two months and the big kids were helping me get her dressed after a bath, when my older child asked me when she was going to start smelling “like us”. This memory today actually made me remember what she smelled like at the time, so intensely I could almost taste it. I can’t remember when she stopped smelling different from us, but I do remember telling the kids that as she grew and we used the same soaps and shampoos and detergent she would probably smell more like us. We are no longer consciously aware of any differences, but I would guess that she stills smells different from us today, only we have incorporated her smell into our family identity.

Among adoptive families, our story is not uncommon, but it sometimes causes bonding issues for adoptive parents (Selwyn & Meakings, 2015). Adoptive parents themselves, researchers Julie Selwyn and Sarah Meakings were conducting interviews of families with disrupted adoptions and those at risk for disrupted adoptions. A disrupted adoption is relatively rare, but they do occur, causing children to be re-homed and trauma to all involved. A pool of adoptive parents were interviewed, consisting of 45 parents with disrupted adoptions and 45 parents considered at risk, and Selwyn and Meakings were surprised that several parents mentioned the smell of their adopted child as being problematic for them. In some cases, parents confessed to feeling “unsettled” by their children not smelling “right”, and so they felt guarded and uncomfortable snuggling or holding the children. Others identified the children as having a very off putting acrid smell they associated with fear, and still others explained that their children were marking their new homes, rooms, and beds with urine to make the space smell more familiar to them. “Parents described an acrid smell and one that was so powerful that they had to overcome feelings of avoidance. Parents had been unprepared for this possibility and could not raise the issue of odour with visiting social workers, as they thought they would be judged as inadequate and strange” (Selwyn & Meakings, 2015). Interviewed parents admitted the off putting odors affected their behavior towards the children, which in turn affected how the children behaved, often negatively and contributing to poor bonding. What is not really explored in this report is that the bonding issues caused by smell would of course work both ways. Children, even newborns, already traumatized by the loss of their familiar people and smells and placed in a strange smelling environment with strange smelling people, might be equally unable to acclimate and feel repulsed by the smell of their new families.

I think it is quite interesting that this research turned up such unexpected information, partially because like the parents interviewed, I thought it was just an “us thing”. I also found it to be very surprising that more studies haven’t been done on the sensory aspects of adoption. I think in our case, I grew up as the oldest in an eclectic, blended family packed with siblings, half siblings, cousins, half cousins, and step cousins and all of their connected relations and friends, and I tried to replicate that for my older kids. By the time we brought home our latest member, we were pretty well primed to accept scent outliers into our group, but as Selwyn and Meakings detail, no one warned us of the potential issues possible scent differences could cause for the success of our adoption. We are also a pretty odd, science-y bunch, so noticing these differences did not upset us or cause shame, and we had like-minded individuals with whom we could positively work through these observations. However, having been a part of the adoptive world and various support groups for the last 14 years, I would strongly agree with their proposal and feel that this information about sensory bonding should be included in the pre-adoptive education sessions. I support the idea that worn clothing could be exchanged for better prospective adoption matching and hopefully a more positive outcome for families.

Rosenblum, L. D. (2010). See what I'm saying: The extraordinary powers of our five senses. New York, NY: W.W. Norton.

Selwyn, Julie & Meakings, Sarah. (2015). 'She just didn’t smell right!' Odour and adoptive family life. Adoption & Fostering. 39. 294-302. 10.1177/0308575915612617. Odour.final.docx

Post 1: Self control

                                       

     Self control as described by Howard Rachlin comes about when people fail to come to terms that they have an underlying issue with immediate gratification off a long term reward. Someone who has a nicotine addiction, and is having a crappy day would be more then likely to have a cigarette to increase their mood. Once the nicotine wears off they will go back to feeling even worse often times. Having the willpower to quit an addiction like nicotine, food, and sex is very difficult for many people. People who are unable to control their urges sufer from the fear of conflicting outcomes that may come if they do or do not quit their addiction that they struggle with. 

Post : Self Control

     Self control as described by Howard Rachlin comes about when people fail to come to terms that they have an underlying issue with immediate gratification off a long term reward. Someone who has a nicotine addiction, and is having a crappy day would be more then likely to have a cigarette to increase their mood. Once the nicotine wears off they will go back to feeling even worse often times. Having the willpower to quit an addiction like nicotine, food, and sex is very difficult for many people. People who are unable to control their urges sufer from the fear of conflicting outcomes that may come if they do or do not quit their addiction that they struggle with. 

Out-Of-Body Experience

One of the spookiest topics that we have learned about this semester is Out-of-body experiences. An out-of-body experience is a sensation of being outside one's own body, typically by being able to observe oneself from a distance. According to Jonas, "out of body experiences are just one of a larger group of experiences called autoscopy, which is from two Ancient Greek words: autos, meaning"self", and skopós, meaning "watcher"" (Jonas, 2020). As weird as that may seem, out-of-body experiences actually happen to many people whether they are healthy or sickly. There are two ways one can experience this: spontaneous out of body experience or induced out of body experience. Within these two categories becomes even deeper reasons one can experience autoscopy such as: visual and somatosensory hallucinations, and heautoscopy proper. 

One of the most famous cases of out-of-body experiences that became a case study is Miss. Z. This woman would claim that at her own will she was able to leave her body. Now Dr. Tart didn't exactly believe her and decided to experiment. When she was asleep he had placed a number on the shelf in front of her and required her to let him know what the number was when she woke up. In fact there was no way for her to know what number was placed in front of her at all, but when she woke up she stated the correct number leaving him in shocked. Dr. Tart started and I quote, 

            "My informal observation of her over a period of several months (undoubtedly distorted by the fact

            that one can never describe one's friends objectively) resulted in a picture of a person who in some

            ways was quite mature and insightful, and in other ways so extremely disturber psychologically

            that at times, when she lost control, she could possibly be diagnosed as schizophrenic"

            (Martisiute, 2018).

Insight on Out-of-Body Experiences. Association for Psychological Science - APS. (2011, August 19). https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/insight-on-out-of-body-experiences. 

Jonas, C. (2020, October 26). Out of body experiences: Dr Clare Jonas. That Thinking Feeling. https://www.thatthinkingfeeling.co.uk/blog/out-of-body-experiences. 

Martisiute, L. (2018, January 24). 4 Bizarre Out-Of-Body Experiences That Turned Into Case Studies. All That's Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/out-of-body-experiences. 

Post Three - Synesthesia

Synesthesia is an incredibly rare experience where your brain has multiple sensory responses to an unrelated stimulus. People who have these experiences are known as synesthetes. In some cases or this condition, letters and numbers can induce a certain color in one's mind or hearing certain sounds can induce a color sensation. This experience is caused by a neurological condition that stimulates many different senses. Although it was not officially called "synesthesia", the condition is found consistently in throughout history. 

I personally have not met a synesthete but I have so many questions about what the experiences are like. We have grown up with certain phrases like "feeling blue" when you are sad and "green with envy" when you are jealous but I was wondering if we were given these comments by someone who was a synesthete a long time ago. Since there is such a broad history of synesthesia, I like to think that maybe some of the common phrases and ideals we know were passed down by generations of past synesthetes.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01414/full

Post Two - Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom limb pain is the sensation of pain in an area where a limb was amputated. Even though the limb is no longer there, the pain is in fact very real. The degree of phantom limb pain ranges between mild and extremely severe and can last for days, weeks or even years. The word "phantom" describes the missing limb or where the limb was severed. Phantom limb pain is extremely common in amputees and is seen in about 8 out of 10 individuals. Some of the symptoms of phantom limb pain include: burning/aching,  pinching, itching, stabbing, throbbing, etc. Phantom limb pain is treated by focusing on easing symptoms. This can be achieved by pain relievers, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, some electrical impulse therapies and complementary therapies such as acupuncture and meditation.

A form of therapy known as mirror therapy is quite common in helping ease phantom limb pain. Mirror therapy is a completely holistic form of treatment. During this form of treatment, patients view their intact limb in a mirror while doing different movement exercises for approximately 20 minutes everyday. The reflection of the healthy limb tricks the brain into thinking that there are two fully intact limbs. Since the brain doesn't believe the limb is missing, the pain begins to dwindle until it ultimately disappears. 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12092-phantom-limb-pain 

Sommeliers

 

A sommelier is a person who specializes in all aspects of wine service and is a knowledgeable wine professional. They manage the wine service in restaurants, country clubs, distribution firms, etc. They are able to specify the region of origin and describe the characteristics of wines based on its taste. They can detect a wine's distinctive ingredients, but it is not due to having sensitive palates. Recent brain scans of sommeliers revealed that as they taste wine, their brains react differently from those who are inexperienced in the field. When sommeliers take a sip of wine, the brain shows greater activity in regions associated with the functions of memory, language and decision making. These findings are consistent with what is already known about the true specialized skills of sommeliers. They have developed a rich understanding in language to describe the taste and smell of wine. Their extensive practice in describing the sensory effects of these components is what leads to their expertise in categorizing the different production dimensions of wine. Although extensive practice can help describe the characteristics of wine, these experts have explicit knowledge which makes it much easier for them to categorize and then remember meaningful constellations of flavor. Overall, sommeliers do not have greater sensitivity in their tongues and noses, but instead their skills are based on learned conceptual knowledge, attention to flavor configurations, and language use.

Rosenblum, L. D. (2011). See what I'm saying: the extraordinary powers of our five senses. W.W. Norton.

Proxy touch

Proxy touch is a skill in which a person can perceive the properties of something by using another object other than your hand. A professional fly-fisher named Rick Passek uses proxy touch to know when to catch fish through his rod. When the fish bites the hook, Passek is able to detect the specific type of fish he’s hooked and what the fish is about to do. His ability to do this, is from the characteristic pulls and vibrations at the rods handle caused by the fish’s actions. Although many people aren’t professional fly-fishers, we are able to use proxy touch in our daily life. We can use this skill through vibrations and textures of specific surfaces. For example, if you were to draw with a pencil but the surface was to change from gloss, standard, to cotton-weight paper, you would be able to detect the different textures. By detecting the textures of the paper by holding the pencil, you are able to apply the right amount of pressure to effectively use the pencil on each surface. Another example when you use proxy touch is when you are cooking. If you were to cook soup, when stirring with a spoon you would be able to determine if the soup was thick enough or if it were sticking to the pot. By using the cooking spoon, you can perceive the texture of the soup without touching it with your skin, allowing you to know when your food is ready. Proxy touch is used to perceive things which is why it is known that blind individuals use their cane tips to feel upcoming curbs or doorways. Overall, proxy touch is used by individuals for many different reasons which can be helpful in our daily lives.

Rosenblum, L. D. (2011). See what I'm saying: the extraordinary powers of our five senses. W.W. Norton. 

Anosmia

Anosmia is when a person partially or completely loses their sense of smell. This condition is difficult to treat and many Americans with anosmia go uncured. Anosmia is caused by swelling or blockage in the nose, being from a common cold, allergies, nasal polyps, and other conditions that may irritate the nose. Our sense of smell enhances 80 percent of flavor, anosmics often enhance their remaining 20 percent of flavor with spices. A man named Karl Wuensch became anosmic, which was a result of large polyps in his sinuses and swollen turbinates. Since Wuensch is now unable to smell, he had to make a few changes in his life. He now prefers super-spicy foods and has to be extra careful when cooking to make sure his food doesn't burn. Wuensch claimed to miss the smell of people the most and how it affected his interactions with people intimately and casually. We all have a special smell based on our natural odor. We are able to recognize other peoples smells and find one more pleasant and sexually attractive based on their odors. This plays a role in our relationships and interactions with others.

Furthermore, in relation to our present pandemic, COVID-19 patients can experience anosmia as well. We all tried the challenge of eating a lemon while not having a reaction. Recently, this challenge has become more popular and expanded across media. To bring a positive light to our current situation, people who have tested positive for COVID-19 were intrigued by the trend of trying different foods and drinks to test if they can taste it. A few things that are popular in this trend include: lemons, hot sauce, onions; and for those who are over the age of 21, alcohol. Most of the time, for those who have tried this trend, the foods they consumed had no flavor. This is due to a temporary loss of function of supporting cells in the olfactory epithelium. Although the curiosity of not tasting something extremely hot or sour is growing, it is not something we wish for. Overall, the loss of smell can impact our relationships and the foods we love to eat. 

Rosenblum, L. D. (2011). See what I'm saying: the extraordinary powers of our five senses. W.W. Norton. 

Jiang, K. (2020, July 24). How COVID-19 causes loss of smell. Harvard medical school. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-covid-19-causes-loss-smell#:~:text=Smell%20loss%20clue,sensory%20neurons%2C%20the%20authors%20said. 

Master Sommeliers

I have a friend who is an advanced sommelier (one level below master) so I found this chapter very interesting. Recent brain scans have shown that sommeliers don’t have an innate ability to detect the distinct characteristics of wines like many people, including myself, once believed. As it turns out, when a sommelier tastes wine, their brain initially shows enhanced activity in the regions where taste and smell inputs converge. Following their initial sip, the left hemisphere shows more activity than in novice wine drinkers. The left hemisphere is associated with analytical processes which confirms that experts’ brains work simultaneously on both sensory input and label recognition. But even their ability to recognize complex flavors and aromas comes from extensive practice and expanding their descriptive vocabulary. 

There’s a pretty good documentary series on Master Sommeliers: 

SOMM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw0PR3zm4z8

SOMM 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGPsAQNvMBE

SOMM 3:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vla8DXyzQ5c

Smell of Attraction and Ovulation

Ovulation is the stage during a women’s menstrual cycles when the ovaries release an egg. Although the process is not visible, it has been shown that men are not only able to smell, but are more attracted to women when they are ovulating. In one study, one group of men smelled T-shirts that were worn by women nearing ovulation and another group smelled shirts from when women were far from ovulation. Men that were exposed to the scent of ovulating women displayed higher levels of testosterone than the non ovulating scent. This shows that olfactory cues that detect sexual availability in women are associated with endocrinological responses in men, which can subsequently drive their sexual behavior. 

https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/15/4/579/205993

John Bramblitt and Cross-modal Plasticity

I’ve taken a great interest in neuroplasticity in the last couple years after first learning about it, so when I read about John Bramblitt’s story and more about cross-modal plasticity I was incredibly fascinated. Despite the fact that our brain organizes itself based on how much we utilize each region, the cortex dedicated to diminished senses do not become obsolete. After John Bramblitt became blind, he developed an enhanced sense of touch to guide him as he paints. As he uses his right hand to draw lines, he uses his left to determine where he placed that line and where the next will go. He can even make out different colors solely based on the viscosity of the paint! Brain imaging has shown that when blind individuals touch complex patterns, their visual cortex activates in systematic ways. This kind of compensatory activation also doesn't occur when induced in sighted individuals. 

https://sites.google.com/a/haverford.edu/the-psychology-of/invited-talks-seminars-conferences/losing-one-sense-improves-another?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1

Post #3- Echolocation

 As I stated in some of my previous work, I am a aide in an autistic pre-school program and I work as an one-on-one aide to a blind boy. As a child who did not have any speech until recently, it was very important to use echolocation to help him navigate his first time out of his home, especially after 2020 and him only being 3 years old. Echolocation has opened my eyes to the importance of background noises. I have become so cautious to every single little thing that goes in around me because he needs to do the same exact thing to survive, essentially. I have had the luxury to take advantage of my sight and not need to rely on the location of certain objects or places just by the sound of that object or of my own voice on that object. This blind student has changed by entire world for the better and I literally "see" the world completely differently since he has been in it. I have learned the importance of sound and how we use it as humans. 

Post 2- Phantom Pain

 My grandfather was a bad diabetic while I was growing up. It started with one infection in his toe and turned into his one leg being amputated from the knee down causing him to be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. However, one interesting factor of his bad infection was the complete honesty he had with his family on how he felt after the amputation of his lower leg. He spoke about pain, pain from ingrown toenails or stubbed toes on the leg that had no foot. This video explains the entire pathway from our brain to limb and how this phantom pain can cause more than just physical pain but mental or emotional pain too.