Affiliations
Research Associate, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Education
Ph.D., Physiology; University of South Florida
RN, BSN; Holy Family University
Laboratory Of
Dr. Pamela Dalton
Research Summary
My research interests focus on how odorant perception affects human psychological and physiological responses. Many organic volatile compounds can elicit an odorant and irritant response. Olfactory cues such as smoke or rotten food alert us from perils and may produce an anxious reaction. I am interested in understanding how odorant perception affects different subpopulations, e.g., asthmatic subjects (who have respiratory problems) versus non-asthmatic subjects. Our sense of smell changes during our lifespan; it decreases as we age. It can get compromised during illness processes (e.g., bacterial and viral infections) or environmental exposure (toxins and pollutants). I am also interested in studying the relationship between olfactory performance and health status.
Keywords
Olfaction, human perception, psychophysics, organic volatiles
Representative Publications
Yoshikawa, K.; Wang, H.; Jaén, C.; Haneoka, M.; Saito, N.; Nakamura, J.; Adappa, N.D.; Cohen, N.A.; Dalton, P. (2018) The human olfactory cleft mucus proteome and its age-related changes. Scientific Reports, 8, 17170.
Jaén, C.; Dalton, P. (2014) Asthma and odors: The role of risk perception in asthma exacerbation. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 77, 302-8.
Dalton, P.; Mauté, C.; Jaén, C.; Wilson, T.; Schöpf, V. (2013). Chemosignals of Stress Influence Social Judgments. PLOS ONE, 8, e77144
Dalton, P.; Jaén, C. (2010). Responses to odors in occupational environments. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 10, 127–132.
