Unlike the primary sensory brain areas that process sights and sounds, the one that decodes scents also responds to other stimuli, such as images and words associated with an odor, according to a study published today in Nature.

The extent to which neurons in the primary olfactory cortex, which includes the piriform cortex, respond to non-odor stimuli was surprising, says Marc Spehr, head of the Chemosensation Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University, who co-led the study. One neuron, for example, which activated in response to the scent of black licorice, also responded to the word “licorice,” images of the candy and the odor of anise seed, which is unrelated but has a similar scent.

— Read more in Double-duty neurons in primary olfactory cortex pick up on more than just scent at The Transmitter.