Introduction: Persistent post-COVID olfactory dysfunction continues to be studied due to the controversy in its pathophysiology and neuroimaging.

Materials And Methods: The patients had confirmed mild COVID-19 infection with olfactory dysfunction of more than one month of evolution and they were compared to controls with normal olfaction, assessed using the Sniffin' Sticks Olfactory Test and underwent brain, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the olfactory bulb and olfactory function.

Results: A total of 8 patients and 2 controls participated. The average age of the patients was 34.5 years (SD 8.5), and that of the controls was 28.5 (SD 2.1). The average score in the patients' olfactory test was 7.9 points (SD 2.2). In brain and olfactory bulb MRI tests, no morphological differences were found. When evaluated by functional MRI, none of the patients activated the entorhinal area in comparison to the controls, who did show activation at this level. Activation of secondary olfactory areas in cases and controls were as follows: orbitofrontal (25% vs 100%), basal ganglia (25% vs 50%) and insula (38% vs 0%) respectively.

Conclusions: There were no observed morphological changes in the brain MRI. Unlike the controls, none of the patients activated the entorhinal cortex in the olfactory functional MRI.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.medcli.2024.04.021DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

olfactory dysfunction
12
functional mri
12
olfactory
10
mild covid-19
8
olfactory test
8
olfactory bulb
8
patients activated
8
activated entorhinal
8
patients
6
mri
6

Similar Publications

Purpose: To investigate the changes in cerebral hemispheric functional connections in patients with acute acquired concomitant esotropia (AACE) and their relationship with clinical manifestations, utilizing voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC).

Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted involving 32 AACE patients and 31 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HC). The resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signals, binocular vision function, and psychometric scale scores were collected rs-fMRI data and structural image data were analyzed for VMHC, and a two-sample -test was used to analyze the differences in VMHC between groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parosmia: Pathophysiology and Management.

Curr Allergy Asthma Rep

January 2025

Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Purpose Of Review: Parosmia is a qualitative olfactory disorder in which there is a mismatch between the memory of an odor and the actual experience triggered by an odor. There has been a surge in parosmia-related publications since the COVID-19 pandemic. This review summarizes the latest clinical findings, theories on pathophysiology and potential treatment options.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Long COVID frequently presents with persistent olfactory dysfunction (OD), affecting both physical and psychological well-being. This study aims to evaluate the mental health consequences of OD in long COVID patients.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study involved 86 adult patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) α-synuclein seeding activity (SSA) via a seed amplification assay might predict central Lewy body diseases (LBD) in at-risk individuals.

Objective: The aim was to assess CSF SSA in a prospective, longitudinal study.

Methods: Participants self-reported risk factors were genetics, olfactory dysfunction, dream enactment behavior, orthostatic intolerance, or hypotension; individuals who had ≥3 confirmed risk factors underwent CSF sampling and were followed for up to 7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In patients with severe olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, olfactory cleft opacification improves with expanded intranasal steroid treatment (EDS-FLU) relative to placebo. This is directly associated with objective and patient-reported taste/smell improvement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!