Anticipating an odor improves detection and perception, yet the underlying neural mechanisms of olfactory anticipation are not well understood. In this study, we used human intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) to show that anticipation resets the phase of delta oscillations in piriform cortex prior to odor arrival. Anticipatory phase reset correlates with ensuing odor-evoked theta power and improvements in perceptual accuracy. These effects were consistently present in each individual subject and were not driven by potential confounds of pre-inhale motor preparation or power changes. Together, these findings suggest that states of anticipation enhance olfactory perception through phase resetting of delta oscillations in piriform cortex.

预测气味可改善检测和感知能力，但对嗅觉预测的潜在神经机制尚不甚了解。在这项研究中，我们使用了人类颅内脑电图（iEEG）来显示，预期会在气味到达之前重置梨状皮质中δ振荡的相位。预期的相位重置与随之而来的气味诱发的theta功率和感知准确度的提高有关。这些效应始终存在于每个个体受试者中，而不是由吸入前运动准备或功率变化的潜在混杂因素驱动。在一起，这些发现表明，预期状态通过梨状皮层中的δ振荡的相位重置来增强嗅觉。