How the brain uses smell to recognize other individuals
Official title: Cortical odor processing for social recognition
Funded at Monell Chemical Senses Center · NIH-11241150 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how brain circuits and the hormone oxytocin help smells signal who another animal or person is, which could relate to social differences seen in autism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Monell Chemical Senses Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $432,204 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020927-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11241150 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with autism who have noticeable difficulties with social recognition or unusual sensitivity to smells would be most likely to benefit or be interested in related future studies.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals whose social challenges are unrelated to smell processing or who do not have sensory differences may not receive direct benefit from this line of research.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, scientists are studying how the brain's primary smell area turns odor molecules into recognizable social scents and how oxytocin changes those brain circuits. They use animal models to record neural activity in the piriform cortex and manipulate oxytocin signaling while observing scent-based social behaviors. The team aims to compare how these circuits work in social versus non-social contexts to understand social odor recognition. Results may help link basic scent processing to social interaction differences relevant to autism.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal brain mechanisms behind social recognition and point to new targets (like oxytocin-related pathways) or sensory-based approaches to help people with social processing differences.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies show oxytocin can alter social behavior and sensory processing, but translating those findings into reliable human autism treatments has been limited and mixed.
Where this research is happening
-
Monell Chemical Senses Center
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bolding, Kevin a — Monell Chemical Senses Center
- Study coordinator: Bolding, Kevin a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.