Richard L. Doty

Loss of the sense of smell or taste is often a sign of neurological disease. Evaluating chemosensation (the senses of smell and taste) during neurological examination can help early detection of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The importance of such testing is now receiving increasingly high profile in the medical curriculum. In this book, olfactory conditions are completely updated and the sense of taste is now included in similar detail. It is written by experts in the field, covering anatomy and physiology of human olfaction and taste, how they can be measured and their relevance to a wide range of major disorders such as diabetes, kidney disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The 'Olfactory Vector Hypothesis' that suggests a neuropathogen may enter the nose en route to the brain is evaluated in detail. This introduction to smell and taste disorders is an essential guide for neurologists, neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists, medical trainees, and chemosensory scientists.

The largest collection of basic, clinical, and applied knowledge on the chemical senses ever compiled in one volume, the third edition of Handbook of Olfaction and Gustation encompass recent developments in all fields of chemosensory science, particularly the most recent advances in neurobiology, neuroscience, molecular biology, and modern functional imaging techniques. Divided into five main sections, the text covers the senses of smell and taste as well as sensory integration, industrial applications, and other chemosensory systems. This is essential reading for clinicians and academic researchers interested in basic and applied chemosensory perception.

Mammalian pheromones, audiomones, visuomones, and snarks-Richard Doty argues that they all belong in the same category: objects of imagination. For more than 50 years, researchers-including many prominent scientists-have identified pheromones as the triggers for a wide range of mammalian behaviors and endocrine responses. In this provocative book, renowned olfaction expert Richard L. Doty rejects this idea and states bluntly that, in contrast to insects, mammals do not have pheromones. Doty systematically debunks the claims and conclusions of studies that purport to reveal the existence of mammalian pheromones. He demonstrates that there is no generally accepted scientific definition of what constitutes a mammalian pheromone and that attempts to divide stimuli and complex behaviors into pheromonal and nonpheromonal categories have primarily failed. Doty's controversial assertion belies a continued fascination with the pheromone concept, numerous claims of its chemical isolation, and what he sees as the wasted expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars by industry and government. The Great Pheromone Myth directly challenges ideas about the role chemicals play in mammalian behavior and reproductive processes. It is a must-have reference for biologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, and readers interested in animal behavior, ecology, and evolution.

Testing the sense of smell is often omitted or trivialized during neurological examination. This comprehensive review will address this shortcoming by emphasizing the significance of this important sensory modality. The Neurology of Olfaction describes the anatomy and physiology of human olfaction and how it may be measured. The book covers neurologic disorders in depth and a comprehensive chapter is devoted to neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, where loss of smell is frequent and may be an early preclinical feature that could predict the onset of disease in asymptomatic subjects. Finally, the authors describe methods of treatment for anosmia, evaluate its medicolegal importance, and give guidance for those unfortunate enough to have lost their sense of smell. Written by two experts in the field, this book provides information useful to physicians for assessing and managing chemosensory disorders and summarizes the current scientific knowledge of human olfaction.