More on Endorphin Branding™ and the Proustian Effect

Frequent visitors to this site are no strangers to the Proustian Effect, that infamous literary reference to the power of scent in retrieving memories which lies at the heart of Endorphin Branding™. Likewise, we learned conclusively from this recent German study that our ever-vigilant sense of smell does not sleep when we do. The next logical question to Whiffologists is an obvious one: Can a Proustian memory be created within an unconscious mind?

In a controlled study at Duke University Medical Center, neuroscientists Stephen Shea and Richard Mooney administered mild electric shock to anesthetized mice while simultaneously presenting various strong odors, such as food or the urine of other mice, to their noses. Because the mice were asleep, the researchers were able to observe their brain activity devoid of any chance that the mice were forming memories from their surrounding environment. “When the animal is asleep, you can watch neurons in the brain rewire to store a memory and once awake see what the mouse learned even though it was asleep when the memory was created,” explained Dr. Shea, lead author of the study. And what he and his team observed was an approximate 40% reduction in neuron activation after triggering the noradrenaline release, indicating that a memory of the odor had been formed.

A day later, when awake, the mice were exposed to the same odorants and demonstrated distinct behavioral changes, according to the team. It’s a significant discovery supporting the hypothesis that noradrenaline plays an crucial role in preserving memories of scents due to processing in the olfactory bulb. “We can all relate to the experience of walking into a room and smelling something that sparks a vivid, emotional memory about a family member from years or even decades ago,” says Dr. Shea. “This research sought to understand that phenomenon on a cellular level.”