This study explores the potential of semiotics in the non-visual realm of perfumery, focusing on the work of French perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. Utilizing Roland Barthes’ three levels of signification as a theoretical framework – as presented in his essay Rhétorique de l’image – it analyzes the linguistic, denotative and connotative aspects of three perfumes created by Ellena for the French luxury house Hermès: Un Jardin en Méditerranée, Un Jardin sur le Nil and Un Jardin Après la Mousson. These fragrances serve as case studies, revealing how Ellena consciously utilizes perfumery raw materials as signifiers, in order to create olfactive illusions corresponding to a given signified. The study argues that these illusions serve as a primary communicative force within perfumery, transcending the sum of their individual parts to evoke olfactory imagery and symbolic meanings. Drawing on Ellena’s method, the analysis highlights the interplay between textual and olfactory meaning-making, engaging the user in an immersive narrative experience. This study aims to contribute to the broader academic discourse surrounding the sensory arts, underlining the potential of semiotics in understanding the symbolic narratives inherent in the art of perfumery.

This project aims to find how, why and by which means the sense of smell can create meaningful interactions in the field of escape rooms, by taking a main role in the interactions that occur in said games, by adding an additional layer of complexity and embodiment. The project finished with the finding that it is not only possible to create meaningful interactions and expand on the possibilities of smell interaction, but also by encouraging future exploration and discussion of the sense of smell as an interactive medium and material.

Alexithymia is a clinically relevant personality trait characterized by deficits in recognizing and verbalizing one’s emotions. It has been shown that alexithymia is related to an impaired perception of external emotional stimuli, but previous research focused on emotion perception from faces and voices. Since sensory modalities represent rather distinct input channels it is important to know whether alexithymia also affects emotion perception in other modalities and expressive domains. The objective of our review was to summarize and systematically assess the literature on the impact of alexithymia on the perception of emotional (or hedonic) stimuli in music, odor, taste, and touch. Eleven relevant studies were identified. On the basis of the reviewed research, it can be preliminary concluded that alexithymia might be associated with deficits in the perception of primarily negative but also positive emotions in music and a reduced perception of aversive taste. The data available on olfaction and touch are inconsistent or ambiguous and do not allow to draw conclusions. Future investigations would benefit from a multimethod assessment of alexithymia and control of negative affect. Multimodal research seems necessary to advance our understanding of emotion perception deficits in alexithymia and clarify the contribution of modality-specific and supramodal processing impairments.

Exposure therapy (ET) is an extensively studied and supported treatment for anxiety and trauma-related disorders. ET works by exposing the patient to the feared object or situation without any danger in order to overcome the related anxiety. Over the past few years, various technologies including head-mounted displays (HMDs), scent machines, and headphones have been used to augment the exposure therapy process by presenting multi-sensory cues (e.g., sights, smells, sounds) to increase the patient*s sense of presence. While studies have shown that scents can elicit emotionally charged memories, no prior research could be identified that examined the effect of olfactory stimuli upon the patient*s sense of presence during exposure tasks. In this study, the effect of olfactory stimuli on subject*s sense of presence was assessed via psychophysiological response (electrodermal activity), visual scanning, and self-report measures. Linear Mixed Modeling showed relationships between olfactory stimuli and presence ratings as well as self-reported anxiety levels, but not visual scanning or physiological arousal. Recommendations were made for continued research in the union of olfactory stimuli, presence, and exposure therapy.

Insect Odorant-Binding Proteins (OBPs) are small, water-soluble molecules that solubilize hydrophobic odorant molecules in the sensillum lymph and transport them to their cognate receptors in the olfactory receptor neurons. With the availability of the genome sequence of the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, there has been a profound interest in the characterization and functional analyses of Obp genes in order to understand the molecular basis of mosquito host-seeking behavior. However, no direct evidence has been found for specific functions of any mosquito OBPs. In this study, I describe the comparative genomics and expression analyses on two mosquito Obp genes (Obp1 and Obp7) as well as efforts to determine their functions. Both of these Obp genes were identified in Anopheles stephensi and only Obp7 gene was identified in Anopheles quadriannulatus by screening bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries of these species. Comparative analyses revealed several interesting features including segments of conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs) that contain potential regulatory elements relevant to olfactory tissue development and blood-feeding. The expression profiles of these genes were examined in detail in the Asian malaria mosquito An. stephensi. Obp1 and Obp7 transcripts were significantly higher in females than male mosquitoes and they were predominantly found in the antenna, which is the primary olfactory organ of mosquitoes. Twenty-four hours after a blood meal, mRNA levels of these two genes were significantly reduced in the maxillary palp and proboscis, referred to as secondary olfactory organs of mosquitoes. These findings collectively indicate that Obp1 and Obp7 genes in An. stephensi likely function in female olfactory response and may be involved in behaviors related to blood-feeding. To investigate the function of these Obp genes more directly, a Sindbis virus based expression system is established to knockdown the two Obp gene orthologs in Aedes aegypti. The effective knockdown of Obp1 and Obp7 genes (8 and 100-fold, respectively) is accomplished in female mosquito olfactory tissues. The potential for a systematic analysis of the molecular players involved in mosquito olfaction using this newly developed technique is discussed. Such analysis will provide the foundation for interfering with mosquito host-seeking behavior for the prevention of disease transmission. / Ph. D.

In an organism's natural environment, there are always an uncountable number of stimuli, and stimulus features, available to gain control over behavior. When these component stimuli are presented simultaneously, this new stimulus compound can occasion a previously unseen effect on behavior. Stimulus compounding is a method used to better understand how variables in stimulus features may impact the final effect on an organism's responding when presented with a stimulus compound. While stimulus compounding experiments are often conducted using intermodal tone and light stimuli, it is conducted far less often using intramodal stimuli, potentially due to the competing stimulus features of same-modality stimuli. Even less conducted research has been done using two odor component stimuli, despite the large impact odor has on many species' behavior. The purpose of this study was to conduct a stimulus compounding experiment using intramodal ambient odor stimuli in rats, to see what kind of effect a mixed odor compound would have on the subject's behavior. This was done using a wind tunnel designed operant chamber, where both subjects were trained to respond to independently presented odor stimuli. Following training a compound mixture of both component odors was presented to the subjects. The results of this study demonstrated an averaged effect on behavior, producing a response rate under the compound mixture that was intermediate to the response rates under each independent component stimulus. This may be due to several factors, including the efficacy of initial training procedures, the efficacy of the apparatus, and the merging of the component stimuli's features.

Research in olfaction is been quite diverse, for example with studies on semantics, brain activations, or distorted smells. Olfactory dysfunction can lead to reduced quality of life, poor dietary habits, sexual and/or mental dysfunctions. Especially in terms of the investigation of olfactory loss it is not only important to assess olfactory function with ratings subjectively assess but more objective measures should be considered. Use of EEG and fMRI has been quite well studied. I have focused my thesis on the use of newer or updated use of existing processing pipelines in order to understand olfaction in a better way.

Thèse de doctorat présenté en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie - recherche intervention, option neuropsychologie clinique (Ph.D) / Selon les dernières estimations mondiales, plus de 43,3 millions d’individus seraient atteints d’une privation visuelle. Autrement dit, l’aptitude de ces individus à percevoir visuellement le monde et les détails qui le composent est presque ou totalement nulle. Bien que privés de l’un des sens les plus importants, ces derniers parviennent à s’adapter et interagir, de façon remarquable, avec l’environnement, et ce, en s’appuyant principalement sur leurs sens préservés. La navigation dans l’espace, la localisation et l’identification d’objets ou de personnes ainsi que la lecture ne sont que quelques exemples permettant d’illustrer la compensation comportementale réalisée par l’entremise des autres canaux sensoriels chez les individus atteints de cécité. L’accomplissement fructueux de telles activités nécessite certes un apprentissage chez les individus aveugles, mais permet également de mettre en lumière qu’au-delà d’une différence de perception visuelle, l’adaptation à une existence vécue dans l’obscurité la plus complète occasionne des changements dans le traitement de l’information en provenance des autres modalités sensorielles. Ces transformations comportementales, issues principalement de la réorganisation cérébrale occasionnée par un déficit perceptif, constitue un sujet d’intérêt pour la communauté scientifique depuis de nombreuses années. Bien que l’apparition des techniques d’imagerie cérébrale non-invasives a permis d’élucider jusqu’à présent de nombreux mystères concernant l’incroyable capacité du cerveau à se modifier sous l’effet de l’expérience, de nombreuses questions demeurent sans réponse. Ainsi, les articles composant cette thèse ont pour objectif principal de contribuer à l’état des connaissances actuelles concernant la réorganisation cérébrale chez les individus atteints de cécité, tant au niveau fonctionnel que structurel, et ce, afin de mieux saisir les répercussions de ces changements cérébraux sur le comportement des non-voyants. Plus particulièrement, nous avons souhaité investiguer l’impact de la privation visuelle précoce sur les régions cérébrales impliquées dans traitement des informations chimiosensorielles (olfactives et trigéminales). Pour ce faire, nous avons d’abord souhaité préciser les mécanismes de réorganisation cérébrale de type structurel prenant place au sein des régions traitant l’information de nature olfactive auprès d’aveugles congénitaux, et ce en comparaison à leurs pairs voyants. L’article 1 de cette thèse révèle que les individus aveugles présentent de multiples altérations cérébrales dans les régions composant le système olfactif. Bien que les aveugles congénitaux inclus dans notre étude présentent des volumes significativement réduits au niveau des bulbes olfactifs, du cortex orbitofrontal et du complexe parahippocampique, leurs performances olfactives, mesurées à l’aide d’épreuves standardisées, demeurent comparables à celles obtenues chez leurs pairs voyants. Nos résultats supportent ainsi la présence d’une réorganisation intramodale au sein du système olfactif chez les aveugles congénitaux, laquelle n’ayant aucune incidence mesurable sur leurs performances olfactive. D’autre part, nous avons souhaité explorer, par le biais de l’imagerie par résonnance magnétique fonctionnelle, si, tout comme pour le traitement de stimuli auditifs et tactiles, les régions habituellement dévolues au traitement visuel participaient, chez l’individu atteint cécité au traitement particulier d’une odeur. Plus précisément, l’article 2 de cette thèse révèle que les aveugles congénitaux sollicitent davantage leur cortex occipital que leurs pairs voyants lors d’une tâche de localisation d’odeurs. Toutefois, lorsque ces mêmes odeurs doivent être identifiées, aveugles et voyants présentent des niveaux d’activité cérébrales comparable dans les régions occipitales. Nos résultats supportent ainsi la présence d’un recrutement intermodal lors du traitement chimiosensoriel de différentes odeurs. Mis ensemble, ces résultats contribuent à une meilleure appréciation des changements cérébraux à la suite d’une privation visuelle, notamment en ce qui concerne les régions impliquées dans le traitement des informations de nature chimiosensorielle. Cette thèse doctorale s’inscrit de façon intéressante au sein des théories de la compensation comportementale présente chez l’individu aveugles, de même que les mécanismes sous-tendant la neuroplasticité structurelle et fonctionnelle des systèmes sensorielles. / According to the latest global estimates, more than 43.3 million people suffer from visual deprivation. In other words, the ability of these individuals to visually perceive the world and the details that compose it is almost or totally absent. Although deprived of one of the most important senses, they manage to adapt and interact with their environment, and this, by relying mainly on their remaining senses. Navigating in space, locating and identifying objects or people, and reading are just few examples that illustrate the behavioral compensation achieved through other sensory channels among individuals living with blindness. The successful accomplishment of such activities certainly requires learning or adaptation. However, it also highlights that beyond a difference in visual perception, adaptation to an existence lived in complete darkness causes changes in the processing of information from other sensory modalities. These behavioral transformations, resulting from the cerebral reorganization caused by a perceptual deficit, have been a subject of interest in the scientific community for many years. Although the emergence of non-invasive brain imaging techniques has, so far, elucidated many mysteries concerning the incredible capacity of the brain to change under the effect of experience, many questions remain unanswered. Thus, the articles included in this thesis have the main objective of contributing to the current knowledge of cerebral reorganization found in individuals living with blindness. More specifically, we wanted to investigate the impact of early visual deprivation on brain regions involved in the processing of chemosensory information (olfactory and trigeminal). To do this, we first evaluated the structural cerebral reorganization taking place among congenitally blind individuals within the olfactory regions. The first study of this thesis reveals that blind individuals present multiple cerebral alterations in the regions composing the olfactory system. More precisely, we found that congenitally blind individuals present significantly reduced olfactory bulb volume, as well as reduction in grey matter density in the orbitofrontal cortex and the parahippocampal complex. Despite this, their olfactory performances, measured using standardized tests, remain comparable to those obtained by their seeing counterparts. Therefore, our results support the presence in congenitally blind individuals of an intramodal reorganization within the olfactory system, which has no measurable impact on their olfactory performance. Through functional magnetic resonance imaging, we wanted to explore if regions that are usually devoted to visual processing are in congenitally blind individuals engaged for the processing of different components of an odor (i.e. olfactory and trigeminal components). More specifically, compared to their sighted counterparts, we found stronger activation in the occipital cortex of blind individuals during our odor localization task. However, when identifying the same odorants, blind and sighted individuals show comparable levels of brain activity in the occipital regions. Our results thus support the presence of cross-modal recruitment during the chemosensory processing of odors. Taken together, these results contribute to a better appreciation of cerebral changes following visual deprivation, particularly in regions involved for the processing of chemosensory information. In an interesting way, the results of this doctoral thesis fit some of the theories stated for blind individuals, such as the structural and functional neuroplasticity of sensory systems.

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