Incense and brain function
June 3, 2009 7:39 AM Subscribe
Does incense hinder or help the thinking process?
Have there been studies on which kind of incense might boost brain function? Can one light up a stick of ginkgo biloba?
Have there been studies on which kind of incense might boost brain function? Can one light up a stick of ginkgo biloba?
Oh, sweet.
Anal Chem. 2009 May 1;81(9):3205-7.
Investigating a not-so-natural high.
Piggee C.
Researchers identify synthetic cannabinoids in herbal incense.
_______
No abstract and I don't have access, sorry.
This is a great question!
P.S. That is an abbreviation for "Annals of Chemistry," not, um, protological chemistry.
posted by Punctual at 8:00 AM on June 3, 2009
Anal Chem. 2009 May 1;81(9):3205-7.
Investigating a not-so-natural high.
Piggee C.
Researchers identify synthetic cannabinoids in herbal incense.
_______
No abstract and I don't have access, sorry.
This is a great question!
P.S. That is an abbreviation for "Annals of Chemistry," not, um, protological chemistry.
posted by Punctual at 8:00 AM on June 3, 2009
(for the sake of future searches, Anal Chem is Analytical Chemistry.)
posted by altolinguistic at 8:15 AM on June 3, 2009
posted by altolinguistic at 8:15 AM on June 3, 2009
Actually, Anal Chem is an abbreviation for "Analytical Chemistry" but I am just a measly neuroscientist and do not know fancy chemistry things.
Sorry I am the only person responding thus far; surely some higher quality Mefites will arrive soon. I am still searching PubMed about this fascinating question.
posted by Punctual at 8:17 AM on June 3, 2009
Sorry I am the only person responding thus far; surely some higher quality Mefites will arrive soon. I am still searching PubMed about this fascinating question.
posted by Punctual at 8:17 AM on June 3, 2009
To the extent that you consider emotion separate from cognition, pranalaxmi, this might not be relevant...
FASEB J. 2008 Aug;22(8):3024-34. Epub 2008 May 20.
Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain.
Moussaieff A, Rimmerman N, Bregman T, Straiker A, Felder CC, Shoham S, Kashman Y, Huang SM, Lee H, Shohami E, Mackie K, Caterina MJ, Walker JM, Fride E, Mechoulam R.
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, Medical Faculty, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel. arieh@weizmann.ac.il
Burning of Boswellia resin as incense has been part of religious and cultural ceremonies for millennia and is believed to contribute to the spiritual exaltation associated with such events. Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 3 is an ion channel implicated in the perception of warmth in the skin. TRPV3 mRNA has also been found in neurons throughout the brain; however, the role of TRPV3 channels there remains unknown. Here we show that incensole acetate (IA), a Boswellia resin constituent, is a potent TRPV3 agonist that causes anxiolytic-like and antidepressive-like behavioral effects in wild-type (WT) mice with concomitant changes in c-Fos activation in the brain. These behavioral effects were not noted in TRPV3(-/-) mice, suggesting that they are mediated via TRPV3 channels. IA activated TRPV3 channels stably expressed in HEK293 cells and in keratinocytes from TRPV3(+/+) mice. It had no effect on keratinocytes from TRPV3(-/-) mice and showed modest or no effect on TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4, as well as on 24 other receptors, ion channels, and transport proteins. Our results imply that TRPV3 channels in the brain may play a role in emotional regulation. Furthermore, the biochemical and pharmacological effects of IA may provide a biological basis for deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions.
posted by Punctual at 8:21 AM on June 3, 2009
FASEB J. 2008 Aug;22(8):3024-34. Epub 2008 May 20.
Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain.
Moussaieff A, Rimmerman N, Bregman T, Straiker A, Felder CC, Shoham S, Kashman Y, Huang SM, Lee H, Shohami E, Mackie K, Caterina MJ, Walker JM, Fride E, Mechoulam R.
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, Medical Faculty, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel. arieh@weizmann.ac.il
Burning of Boswellia resin as incense has been part of religious and cultural ceremonies for millennia and is believed to contribute to the spiritual exaltation associated with such events. Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 3 is an ion channel implicated in the perception of warmth in the skin. TRPV3 mRNA has also been found in neurons throughout the brain; however, the role of TRPV3 channels there remains unknown. Here we show that incensole acetate (IA), a Boswellia resin constituent, is a potent TRPV3 agonist that causes anxiolytic-like and antidepressive-like behavioral effects in wild-type (WT) mice with concomitant changes in c-Fos activation in the brain. These behavioral effects were not noted in TRPV3(-/-) mice, suggesting that they are mediated via TRPV3 channels. IA activated TRPV3 channels stably expressed in HEK293 cells and in keratinocytes from TRPV3(+/+) mice. It had no effect on keratinocytes from TRPV3(-/-) mice and showed modest or no effect on TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4, as well as on 24 other receptors, ion channels, and transport proteins. Our results imply that TRPV3 channels in the brain may play a role in emotional regulation. Furthermore, the biochemical and pharmacological effects of IA may provide a biological basis for deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions.
posted by Punctual at 8:21 AM on June 3, 2009
Maybe so, but there appears to be a hell of a downside:
Incense use and respiratory tract carcinomas: a prospective cohort study.
[...] The relative risk of squamous cell carcinomas among long-term incense users was 1.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.2-2.6; P = .004) in the entire respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study indicate that long-term use of incense is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the respiratory tract.
Assessing hazardous risks of human exposure to temple airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
[...] For personal extreme exposure to carcinogenic PAH in the temple, 95% probability total ILCR (TILCR) (9.87 x 10(-4) to 1.13 x 10(-3)) is much greater than the range of 10(-6) to 10(-4), indicating high potential health risk to temple workers.
Potential health effects of exposure to carcinogenic compounds in incense smoke in temple workers.
[...] These results indicate that exposure to carcinogens emitted from incense burning may increase health risk for the development of cancer in temple workers.
Heavy incense burning in temples promotes exposure risk from airborne PMs and carcinogenic PAHs.
[...] Our results implicate that exposure to smoke emitted from heavy incense burning may promote lung cancer risk. Our study provides a quantitative basis for objective risk prediction of heavy incense burning exposure in temples and for evaluating the effectiveness of management.
posted by aquafortis at 8:38 AM on June 3, 2009
Incense use and respiratory tract carcinomas: a prospective cohort study.
[...] The relative risk of squamous cell carcinomas among long-term incense users was 1.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.2-2.6; P = .004) in the entire respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study indicate that long-term use of incense is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the respiratory tract.
Assessing hazardous risks of human exposure to temple airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
[...] For personal extreme exposure to carcinogenic PAH in the temple, 95% probability total ILCR (TILCR) (9.87 x 10(-4) to 1.13 x 10(-3)) is much greater than the range of 10(-6) to 10(-4), indicating high potential health risk to temple workers.
Potential health effects of exposure to carcinogenic compounds in incense smoke in temple workers.
[...] These results indicate that exposure to carcinogens emitted from incense burning may increase health risk for the development of cancer in temple workers.
Heavy incense burning in temples promotes exposure risk from airborne PMs and carcinogenic PAHs.
[...] Our results implicate that exposure to smoke emitted from heavy incense burning may promote lung cancer risk. Our study provides a quantitative basis for objective risk prediction of heavy incense burning exposure in temples and for evaluating the effectiveness of management.
posted by aquafortis at 8:38 AM on June 3, 2009
I was going to post what aquafortis posted. Avoid the incense, meditate instead.
posted by satori_movement at 10:58 AM on June 3, 2009
posted by satori_movement at 10:58 AM on June 3, 2009
It looks like the closest thing resembling a scientific inquiry into this question is the first article referenced by Punctual. Even if differences in blips on an EEG were markers of improved "brain function" which they most likely aren't, that study is still an exercise in nothing other than terrible statistics (specifically suffering from a big-time multiple comparisons problem). There really isn't a single other article that I can find on Pubmed looking at that. So in short, no. There really is no science supporting the claim that incense can "boost brain function," though as aquafortis points out, there are potential harmful consequences of inhaled incense that are documented in the scientific literature.
Sorry to harsh your mellow bro.
posted by drpynchon at 12:46 PM on June 3, 2009
Sorry to harsh your mellow bro.
posted by drpynchon at 12:46 PM on June 3, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
Effects of incense on brain function: evaluation using electroencephalograms and event-related potentials.
Iijima M, Osawa M, Nishitani N, Iwata M.
Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. mutumi@nij.twmu.ac.jp
To evaluate the effect of the odor of incense on brain activity, electroencephalograms (EEGs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) in a push/wait paradigm were recorded in 10 healthy adults (aged 23-39 years) with normal olfactory function. EEG was recorded from 21 electrodes on the scalp, according to the International 10-20 system, and EEG power spectra were calculated by fast Fourier transform for 3 min before and during odor presentation. ERPs were recorded from 15 electrodes on the scalp before, during and after exposure to incense with intervals of 10 min. In a push/wait paradigm, two Japanese words, 'push' as the go stimulus and 'wait' as the no-go stimulus, appeared randomly on a CRT screen with equal probability. The subjects were instructed to push a button whenever the 'push' signal appeared. Fast alpha activity (10-13 Hz) increased significantly in bilateral posterior regions during incense exposure compared to that during rose oil exposure. The peak amplitudes of no-go P3 at Fz and Cz were significantly greater during incense inhalation. The latencies of go P3 and no-go P3, and the amplitude and latencies of no-go N2 did not change by exposure to the odors of both incense, rose and odorless air. These results suggest that the odor of incense may enhance cortical activities and the function of inhibitory processing of motor response. 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.
posted by Punctual at 7:58 AM on June 3, 2009 [1 favorite]