Impaired odor perception in autism spectrum disorder is associated with decreased activity in olfactory cortex

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterized by atypical sensory functioning in the visual, tactile, and auditory systems. Although less explored, olfactory changes have been reported in ASD patients. To explore these changes on a neural level, 18 adults with ASD and 18 healthy neurotypical controls were examined in a 2-phase study. Participants were first tested for odor threshold and odor identification. Then, (i) structural magnetic resonance (MR) images of the olfactory bulb were acquired, and (ii) a functional MR imaging olfaction study was conducted. ASD patients exhibited decreased function for odor thresholds and odor identification; this was accompanied by a relatively decreased activation in the piriform cortex. In conclusion, these findings suggest, that the known alterations in olfaction in ASD are rooted in the primary olfactory cortex.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)627-634
Number of pages8
JournalChemical senses
Volume43
Issue number8
Publication statusPublished - 22 Sept 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 30219913
ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/151982920
ORCID /0000-0001-7465-8700/work/151982243

Keywords

Keywords

  • Autism, Detection, Identification, Olfaction, Piriform