Olfaction News and Research

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Anosmia and changes in brain MRI in COVID-19

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across the world, new symptoms and clinical presentations appeared, often confusing the picture. A case report from Italy, published in the journal JAMA Neurology in May 2020, shows that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be a neurotropic virus, and may cause infection to present primarily with anosmia.

31 May 2020

Loss of smell added to the UK's official list of Covid-19 symptoms

The UK has joined the US, Europe and the World Health Organisation by including loss of smell or taste as an officially recognized symptom of Covid-19 – thanks in part to an international research project involving Professor Carl Philpott at the University of East Anglia.

20 May 2020

Loss of smell should be listed as early symptom of COVID-19

Though the two common symptoms are cough and fever, recent studies and reports point to a loss of smell as a symptom early in the disease process. A team of researchers at the Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden) revealed that the sudden loss of smell is experienced by many patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

4 May 2020

A 'sniff test' could signal consciousness after a brain injury

A team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel revealed that the ability to detect smells predicts recovery and long-term survival in patients who had a severe brain injury. The study, published in the journal Nature, shows that the simple "sniff test," which is inexpensive and convenient, could help doctors to diagnose and develop treatments for patients who have brain injuries and unconsciousness.

3 May 2020

Scents regulate lipid metabolism without changing eating habits

Dr. Ayse Sena Mutlu, a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor's Huffington Center On Aging, had an intriguing question. Is it possible to change the body's fat storage without changing eating habits?

16 Apr 2020

Developing diagnostic tools based on science of the sniff

As the medical industry continues its quest for accurate and reliable diagnostic tools, more is becoming understood about the science of the sniff.

24 Jan 2020

Humans can have normal olfaction without typical olfactory bulbs

Our sense of smell depends on the transmission of olfactory information from the nose to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerve. And without olfactory bulbs, smell isn't possible--or so scientists thought.

8 Nov 2019

Concussions may cause loss of sense of smell

It has been previously known that major traumatic brain injury (TBI) may cause a broad range of side effects, including loss of the sense of smell. Now, researchers reveal that it’s true even for minor concussions.

24 Jul 2019

A poor sense of smell increases your risk of dying early, but scientists don’t know why

Researchers have found that a poor sense of smell during older age is be associated with an increased likelihood of dying within the next ten years. However, they can’t explain why.

30 Apr 2019

Neuroscientists investigate how olfactory brain influences memory formation

How sensory perception in the brain affects learning and memory processes is far from fully understood. Two neuroscientists of Ruhr-Universität Bochum have discovered a new aspect of how the processing of odors impacts memory centers.

29 Apr 2019

Scientists develop new accurate computational method to enhance drug target stability

Scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, and the University of Southern California have developed a new computational method for the design of thermally stable G protein-coupled receptors that are of great help in creating new drugs.

30 Mar 2019

MSU receives $5 million NIH grant to find link between pesticides and Parkinson's

A Michigan State University researcher is hoping to make a connection between pesticides, olfactory impairment and early symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases among aging farmers.

6 Mar 2019

Behavioral experiments confirm that additional neurons improve brain function

Most neurons in the human brain are generated from neural stem cells during embryonic development. After birth, a small reservoir of stem cells remains in the brain that keeps on producing new neurons throughout life.

18 Jan 2019

Researchers find key differences in brains of males and females with schizophrenia

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found clear disparities in the way males and females--both those with schizophrenia and those who are healthy--discern the mental states of others.

30 Oct 2018

Study sheds new light on evolution of olfactory systems in vertebrates

In all animals, including humans, smell - the oldest of the five senses - plays a predominant role in many behaviors essential for survival and reproduction. It has been known since ancient times that animals react to odors.

29 Oct 2018

Study shows correlation between spatial memory and the sense of smell

People who have better spatial memory are also better at identifying odors, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.

20 Oct 2018

Study opens new avenues for engineering smells and tastes

Every smell, from a rose to a smoky fire to a pungent fish, is composed of a mixture of odorant molecules that bind to protein receptors inside your nose.

30 Aug 2018

Neurobiologists identify new link between smell and memory

Neurobiologists at the University of Toronto have identified a mechanism that allows the brain to recreate vivid sensory experiences from memory, shedding light on how sensory-rich memories are created and stored in our brains.

24 Jul 2018

New smell test could help improve early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's diseases

Nisha Pradhan was seven when she began to suspect she was missing out on something. Her sister seemed to have an uncanny knack for predicting what their mother was making for dinner. Pradhan, meanwhile, never had a clue.

11 Oct 2017

Natural decline of senses can predict poor health outcomes, including death

A long-term study spanning five years and including more than 3,000 nationally-representative older US adults has found that a natural decline of the five classical senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch) can predict a number of poor health outcomes, including greater risk of death.

6 Oct 2017