We report a cross-sectional study of olfactory impairment with age based on both odorant-stimulated responses of human olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and tests of olfactory threshold sensitivity. A total of 621 OSNs from 440 subjects in 2 age groups of younger (≤ 45 years) and older (≥ 60 years) subjects were investigated using fluorescence intensity ratio fura-2 imaging. OSNs were tested for responses to 2 odorant mixtures, as well as to subsets of and individual odors in those mixtures. Whereas cells from younger donors were highly selective in the odorants to which they responded, cells from older donors were more likely to respond to multiple odor stimuli, despite a loss in these subjects' absolute olfactory sensitivity, suggesting a loss of specificity. This degradation in peripheral cellular specificity may impact odor discrimination and olfactory adaptation in the elderly. It is also possible that chronic adaptation as a result of reduced specificity contributes to observed declines in absolute sensitivity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.09.036 | DOI Listing |
Nutrients
December 2024
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, SP 8 Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy.
Background: Sour taste is associated with acid-base homeostasis, which is critical to cell metabolism and health conditions. Vinegar, which contains acetic acid as the main component, is a sour food considered the second most common condiment in Italy.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess differences in sourness perception in subjects with olfactory deficits compared to controls and evaluate myrtle aromatization's potential effect in modulating sourness perception in subjects with hyposmia.
Int J Mol Sci
December 2024
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan.
Olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation demonstrates promising therapeutic results in neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injury. The emerging cell-free secretome therapy compensates for the limitations of cell transplantation, such as low cell survival rates. However, the therapeutic benefits of the human OEC secretome remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
December 2024
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy.
Over the last three decades, adult neurogenesis in mammals has been a central focus of neurobiological research, providing insights into brain plasticity and function. However, interest in this field has recently waned due to challenges in translating findings into regenerative applications and the ongoing debate about the persistence of this phenomenon in the adult human brain. Despite these hurdles, significant progress has been made in understanding how adult neurogenesis plays a critical role in the adaptation of brain circuits to environmental stimuli regulating key brain functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Infect Dis
January 2025
Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Background: Each of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines has its characteristics that can affect their effectiveness in preventing hospitalization and patient mortality. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including whole-virus, protein-based, and vector-based on COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality.
Methods: The current cohort study was conducted using the data of all people who received at least two doses of each type of COVID-19 vaccine from March 2020 to August 2022 in Khorasan Rzavi province.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, No. 1650, Taiwan Boulevard, Section 4, Taichung, 40705, Taiwan.
This study investigates whether incorporating olfactory dysfunction into motor subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD) improves associations with clinical outcomes. PD is commonly divided into motor subtypes, such as postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD) and tremor-dominant PD (TDPD), but non-motor symptoms like olfactory dysfunction remain underexplored. We assessed 157 participants with PD using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (M-UPDRS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire Summary Index (PDQ-39 SI), and 99mTc-TRODAT-1 imaging.
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