Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are trying to develop a treatment for those who have lost their ability to smell by studying how the brain changes when that sense is lost.
According to an article published online March 21 by St. Louis Public Radio, the study will require 17 participants to go through a series of "smell training" tests to regain their sense of smell back, including sniffing essential oils twice a day for three months.
Study participants will also undergo an MRI exam before and after the study, so that researchers may identify new neural pathways and connectivity created in the brain to improve the participants sense of smell as well as taste.
“Loss of sense of smell and taste is not just a quality-of-life problem,” said lead author Jay Piccirillo, MD, a professor at Washington University School of Medicine. “More importantly, it takes away some of that protective effect that smell gives us when there’s gases in the air or dangerous products in the air.”
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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.