Brain volume changes in hyposmic patients before and after olfactory training
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Olfactory dysfunction is thought to be associated with reduced gray matter (GM) volume in olfactory-related brain areas. The aim of this study was to determine GM structural changes within olfactory-related regions of the brain in patients with smell loss due to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) before and after olfactory rehabilitation.
STUDY DESIGN: Prospective intervention case-control study.
METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging structural brain images were collected from 30 patients with smell loss due to URTI and 31 controls. Patients exposed themselves to odors (olfactory training [OT]) over 12 weeks and then were rescanned. Olfactory testing was performed using the validated Sniffin' Sticks test. GM was investigated with voxel-based morphometry.
RESULTS: GM volumes were found to be reduced in the limbic system and thalamus among pretraining patients compared to controls; in patients, OT was associated with a significant increase of GM volume in these two regions. The GM volume within other olfactory-related regions was not different between patients and controls. In addition, no relevant difference between the GM volume pre- and post-OT was observed in primary olfactory-related regions.
CONCLUSIONS: OT was associated with an increase in GM volume of the hippocampus and the thalamus, possibly pointing toward a strategy for more effective exploitation of olfactory signals based on a higher degree of attention toward odors and association of memories with olfactory input.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b. Laryngoscope, 128:1531-1536, 2018.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1531-1536 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Laryngoscope |
Volume | 128 |
Issue number | 7 |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2018 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 29238983 |
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researchoutputwizard | legacy.publication#79095 |
ORCID | /0000-0002-7336-5815/work/143074698 |
ORCID | /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/146645205 |
Scopus | 85038023712 |
Keywords
Keywords
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Case-Control Studies, Female, Gray Matter/diagnostic imaging, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods, Male, Middle Aged, Odorants, Olfaction Disorders/diagnostic imaging, Prospective Studies, Respiratory Tract Infections/complications