Modulating salience network connectivity through olfactory nerve stimulation

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Carina Heller - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena, University of Minnesota System, University of California at Santa Barbara, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) Partner Site Jena, Halle, Mageburg, C-I-R-C Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (Author)
  • Maria Geisler - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Nicolas L. Mayer - , Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Annabelle Thierfelder - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Martin Walter - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) Partner Site Jena, Halle, Mageburg, C-I-R-C Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (Author)
  • Thomas Hummel - , Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Ilona Croy - , Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) Partner Site Jena, Halle, Mageburg, C-I-R-C Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)

Abstract

Depression is associated with reduced functional connectivity within the brain’s salience network and its strengthened interactions with the default mode network (DMN). Modification of this clinical pattern is challenging. Leveraging the direct neural pathways from olfactory processing regions to the salience network, we explored the effects of electrical stimulation of the olfactory mucosa on brain connectivity. In a randomized, blinded within-subject design, 45 healthy individuals received olfactory or trigeminal nerve stimulation followed by resting-state fMRI. Olfactory stimulation resulted in a significant increase in functional connectivity between the salience network and the piriform cortex – a primary olfactory structure. Importantly, this stimulation increased functional connectivity within the salience network and weakened connectivity between the salience network and the DMN. These findings suggest that olfactory stimulation may modulate connectivity patterns implicated in depression, offering a novel potential minimal invasive therapeutic strategy. However, as these results were obtained from a healthy cohort, further studies are required to evaluate the efficacy in individuals with depression.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number303
JournalTranslational psychiatry
Volume15
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/191533964