luktminnen

Luktminnen, or olfactory memories, are memories that are triggered by odors and may include explicit recall of smells as well as autobiographical memories cued by a scent.

The olfactory system has direct neural connections to limbic structures such as the amygdala and hippocampus, and to the orbitofrontal cortex. This arrangement supports the strong emotional and contextual tagging of odor-evoked memories.

Odor-evoked memories are often vivid, emotionally intense, and anchored to specific times and places. They are sometimes described as the Proust phenomenon, after Marcel Proust's madeleine episode, illustrating how a smell can unlock a detailed past memory.

Researchers distinguish explicit odor memory from incidental odor memory and odor-evoked autobiographical memory. Studies use recognition tasks, free recall, and neuroimaging to investigate the involved brain regions. Olfactory memory can be affected by aging and by neurological conditions; for example, olfactory identification deficits can appear early in Alzheimer's disease.

Applications include flavor and fragrance research, reminiscence therapy in dementia care, and scent-based cues to aid memory in educational or clinical settings.