A study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience reveals that by stimulating the brain regions of the visual cortex while we breathe in the scent of a rose , our ability to distinguish nuances and identify certain smells increases. According to the authors, from the Montreal Neurological Institute, the finding indicates that the brain structures responsible for the different senses are much more interconnected than previously thought. And that it is not something exclusive to synesthetes – people in whom the stimulation of one sense activates another, for example making them see colors in numbers or hear smells.
The researchers suggest that sight plays a key role in "connecting" information from different senses. And, as an immediate practical application, they recommend that the next time we smell a perfume, a flower or an exotic spice, we keep our eyes wide open .
