MEDIA RELEASES

Dominican University’s Albertus Magnus Society For the Intersection of Religion and Science will host a presentation by Jay Gottfried, M.D., PhD., titled “Exodus 29:18—Historical and Neurobiological Interpretations of Sweet Aromas and Burnt Offerings” on Thursday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Room 263 of the Priory Campus, 7200 W. Division Street, River Forest. The presentation is part of this year’s series of monthly discussions on “Sensing the Spirit,” an exploration of the connections between sensory science and spirituality.

What can science tell us about the relation of brain processes and spiritual experiences? The power of smell to influence human behavior has been recognized since antiquity. The Bible features sweet aromas, burnt offerings, incense and fragrant anointing oils as holy symbols reserved for the most sacred religious ceremonies. In his talk, Gottfried will trace the historical role of smells in human culture and spirituality, consider the emotional impact of smells on human behavior, and discuss how modern olfactory neuroscience research can inform our understanding of pleasant—and unpleasant—smells.

An attending physician in neurology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Gottfried teaches at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, as well as its Department of Psychology and Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He is the principal investigator in a laboratory researching how the character of specific odors (such as mint or wet dog) are encoded in the human brain and how odor perception follows from these coding schemes. Because the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease first accumulates in olfactory areas of the brain, Gottfried hopes to develop diagnostic biomarkers as a means of identifying at-risk Alzheimer’s patients who could benefit from early interventions.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Following the presentation, there will time for questions and discussion. Please reserve your space at Dominican University’s Siena Center at (708) 714-9105 or visit the website at www.siena.dom.edu.