ELTE-NAP Canine Brain Research Group

Principal Investigators: Dr. Attila Andics and Prof. Kubinyi Enikő
Funding: Hungarian Academy of Sciences National Brain Program 3.0
Contact: eniko.kubinyi@ttk.elte.hu

The NAP 3.0 Olfaction Research Group is conducting behavioural and fMRI research on the olfaction of dogs and humans at the Department of Ethology at ELTE. The smell is the oldest yet least studied sensory ability in vertebrates. Despite the relatively small size of the human olfactory bulb, many humans have excellent olfaction, and smell also plays an important role in interpersonal communication and emotions. However, science has neglected this area, underestimating the impact of olfactory disorders on quality of life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has renewed interest in smell, as the SARS-CoV-2 infection responsible for the epidemic causes a loss or distortion of smell and taste in a significant percentage of cases. Our research aims to investigate (1) the olfactory sensitivity and processing neural structures of three mammalian species, namely humans, dogs, and mice; (2) the olfactory ability and performance of trained and untrained dogs; (3) the individual variability of olfactory performance as a function of head shape, genetics, education, personality traits, age, and gut or nasal microbiome; and (4) the effect of COVID-19 on the training of search dogs and olfactory nerve processing in humans.

Team members and publications are listed on the website of the Department of Ethology, ELTE: https://ethology.elte.hu/en/content/mta-elte-nap-canine-brain-research-group.t.32300