Key TakeawaysA strong ability to detect scents is linked to slower brain volume loss in areas critical for memory, decision-making, and speech.Odor cues may help people with depression recall detailed memories, potentially improving mental health symptoms.Smell training can improve memory and may stimulate areas in the brain linked to cognition.

Key Takeaways

A strong ability to detect scents is linked to slower brain volume loss in areas critical for memory, decision-making, and speech.Odor cues may help people with depression recall detailed memories, potentially improving mental health symptoms.Smell training can improve memory and may stimulate areas in the brain linked to cognition.

Your sense of smell is closely linked to memory and brain health. If someone can’t smell pumpkin pie or apple cider this season, it may signal cognitive impairment or depression.

Researchers have found that a strong ability to detect scents is associated with a slower loss of brain volume in the frontal and temporal regions,which are responsible for speech, memory, and decision-making.

“The olfactory system has the only direct superhighway access to the memory centers and the emotional center of the brain,“Michael Leon, PhD, a professor emeritus of neurobiology and behavior at the University of California, Irvine, told Verywell.

Other senses take “the brain’s side streets” to stimulate the emotional and memory centers, which means the olfactory system has a bigger impact on keeping those parts of the brain healthy, he added.

People with a loss of smell can try smell training to improve their sense of smell and boost cognitive function.Smell therapy, also known as olfactory enrichment, can stimulate the brain, particularly the memory and emotional centers, Leon said.

The test group had significant improvement in memory compared to the control group.

“We also found a similar improvement in one of the critical memory pathways in the brain when we did brain imaging on those individuals,” Leon said.

Losing Your Sense of Smell May Be a Warning Sign of Alzheimer’s

Smell Therapy May Help Treat Depression, Too

Some researchers say that exposure to different scents could help people manage mental health conditions.

In a recent study of adults withmajor depressive disorder (MDD)—a condition that can make it difficult to remember specific personal experiences—odor cues led to more detailed memories than word cues.

Mental healthcare providers currently use word cues to help people with MDD recall detailed memories,so these findings could lead to new, effective treatment options.

‘Smell Training’ Could Help People Who Lost Their Sense of Smell From COVID-19

How to Test Your Sense of Smell at Home

TheUniversity of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Testis a commercial scratch-and-sniff test you can use to reliably measure smell loss. But you can also make a DIY version using items around your home.

“You just have to go to your kitchen,“David Vance, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, told Verywell.

Vance said you can use things like cinnamon, cocoa, vanilla extract, and lemon to test your sense of smell. Place each of those on a spoon or in a bottle and take a whiff. Scented markers can work, too.

“Those are strong, so if you can’t smell those, that’s where you might want to just tell your doctor about that and get it checked out,” he said.

Allergies, COVID-19, the flu, and colds can lead to a loss of smell. However, a healthcare provider can help you determine the cause of smell loss.If it is related to a different condition, like Alzheimer’s disease, they can help determine if olfactory enrichment can help.

“We know that people who have some vision or hearing problems, once we do some correction for that, we can actually see their cognitive abilities improve some,” Vance said. “The same philosophy goes with smell: If we can improve one’s ability to smell, maybe that will also have a boost [for cognitive function].”

Regaining Smell After COVID-19: What Can You Do?

What This Means For YouYour sense of smell is more than just a way to enjoy scents; it connects directly to brain health and emotional well-being. If you notice a change in your ability to smell, consider discussing it with a healthcare provider. Simple smell training exercises might enhance both your memory and cognitive function.

What This Means For You

Your sense of smell is more than just a way to enjoy scents; it connects directly to brain health and emotional well-being. If you notice a change in your ability to smell, consider discussing it with a healthcare provider. Simple smell training exercises might enhance both your memory and cognitive function.

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Leon M, Woo CC.Olfactory loss is a predisposing factor for depression, while olfactory enrichment is an effective treatment for depression.Front Neurosci. 2022;16:1013363. doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.1013363Tian Q, An Y, Kitner-Triolo MH, et al.Associations of olfaction with longitudinal trajectories of brain volumes and neuropsychological function in older adults.Neurology. 2023;100(9). doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000201646Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.Woo CC, Miranda B, Sathishkumar M, Dehkordi-Vakil F, Yassa MA, Leon M.Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults.Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1200448. doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448Leiker EK, Riley E, Barb S, et al.Recall of autobiographical memories following odor vs verbal cues among adults with major depressive disorder.JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(2):e2355958. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.55958Erten MN, Brown AD.Memory specificity training for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder: a promising therapeutic intervention. Front Psychol. 2018;9:419. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00419Yale Medicine.Loss of smell (anosmia).

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Leon M, Woo CC.Olfactory loss is a predisposing factor for depression, while olfactory enrichment is an effective treatment for depression.Front Neurosci. 2022;16:1013363. doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.1013363Tian Q, An Y, Kitner-Triolo MH, et al.Associations of olfaction with longitudinal trajectories of brain volumes and neuropsychological function in older adults.Neurology. 2023;100(9). doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000201646Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.Woo CC, Miranda B, Sathishkumar M, Dehkordi-Vakil F, Yassa MA, Leon M.Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults.Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1200448. doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448Leiker EK, Riley E, Barb S, et al.Recall of autobiographical memories following odor vs verbal cues among adults with major depressive disorder.JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(2):e2355958. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.55958Erten MN, Brown AD.Memory specificity training for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder: a promising therapeutic intervention. Front Psychol. 2018;9:419. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00419Yale Medicine.Loss of smell (anosmia).

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Leon M, Woo CC.Olfactory loss is a predisposing factor for depression, while olfactory enrichment is an effective treatment for depression.Front Neurosci. 2022;16:1013363. doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.1013363Tian Q, An Y, Kitner-Triolo MH, et al.Associations of olfaction with longitudinal trajectories of brain volumes and neuropsychological function in older adults.Neurology. 2023;100(9). doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000201646Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.Woo CC, Miranda B, Sathishkumar M, Dehkordi-Vakil F, Yassa MA, Leon M.Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults.Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1200448. doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448Leiker EK, Riley E, Barb S, et al.Recall of autobiographical memories following odor vs verbal cues among adults with major depressive disorder.JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(2):e2355958. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.55958Erten MN, Brown AD.Memory specificity training for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder: a promising therapeutic intervention. Front Psychol. 2018;9:419. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00419Yale Medicine.Loss of smell (anosmia).

Leon M, Woo CC.Olfactory loss is a predisposing factor for depression, while olfactory enrichment is an effective treatment for depression.Front Neurosci. 2022;16:1013363. doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.1013363

Tian Q, An Y, Kitner-Triolo MH, et al.Associations of olfaction with longitudinal trajectories of brain volumes and neuropsychological function in older adults.Neurology. 2023;100(9). doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000201646

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Brain anatomy and how the brain works.

Woo CC, Miranda B, Sathishkumar M, Dehkordi-Vakil F, Yassa MA, Leon M.Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults.Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1200448. doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448

Leiker EK, Riley E, Barb S, et al.Recall of autobiographical memories following odor vs verbal cues among adults with major depressive disorder.JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(2):e2355958. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.55958

Erten MN, Brown AD.Memory specificity training for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder: a promising therapeutic intervention. Front Psychol. 2018;9:419. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00419

Yale Medicine.Loss of smell (anosmia).

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