Reduced Olfactory Bulb Volume in Obesity and Its Relation to Metabolic Health Status

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Maria Poessel - , Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Author)
  • Nora Breuer - , Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Author)
  • Akshita Joshi - , Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • André Pampel - , Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Author)
  • Arno Villringer - , Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Author)
  • Thomas Hummel - , Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Annette Horstmann - , Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Author)

Abstract

Smell perception plays an important role in eating behavior and might be involved in body weight gain. Since a body of literature implies that olfactory perception and function is hampered in obesity, we here investigate neuroanatomical correlates of this phenomenon. We assessed olfactory bulb (OB) volume with magnetic resonance imaging in 67 healthy participants with a body mass index (BMI) from 18.9 to 45.4 kg/m2 (mean = 28.58 ± 6.64). Moreover, we obtained psychophysiological data on olfactory ability (Sniffin' Sticks, Food associated odor test) and self-report measurements on eating behavior. Additionally, we collected parameters associated with metabolic health in obesity (waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio, leptin levels, body fat percentage, fat mass index, insulin resistance) to investigate recently proposed mechanistic explanatory models of why olfaction may be altered in obesity. We showed that OB volume was significantly lower in participants with obesity when compared to those of normal weight. Moreover, we found weak to moderate negative correlations between OB volume and BMI and related measures of metabolic health, especially leptin, body fat percentage, waist-height ratio and insulin resistance. However, neither OB volume nor BMI were related to olfactory function in our young and healthy sample. Nevertheless, our results provide first indications that obesity is associated with brain anatomical changes in the OBs.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)586998
JournalFrontiers in human neuroscience
Volume14
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC7729134
Scopus 85097507714
ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/146645318

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals