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Science & Technology
Clue to mental illness all in the nose
2006-12-06
Predicting the onset of mental illness could soon be as simple as smelling a scratch-and-sniff card loaded with the aroma of roses or a whiff of petrol. Scientists have taken the same technology popular in children's books and designed a test to help diagnose brain disorders before the onset of any symptoms.

The test can be used for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia, as well as some illnesses affecting adolescents. It originated in a discovery by Melbourne University researchers of a link between these illnesses and a poor ability to identify smells. To test their theory, they developed a set of 40 scratch-and-sniff cards and asked people to identify the smell from a list of four possibilities, such as coffee, roses, oranges and petrol.

Professor Warwick Brewer, from the university's Orygen Research Centre, said the people who later went on to develop a brain disorder had demonstrated difficulty correctly answering more than half the questions. He said the simple test also could be used by relatives of people with these conditions. "Because of the genetic link in many illnesses, it is hoped the test could also be used by family members of people who have developed an illness of the brain."

Professor Christos Pantelis, from the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, said smell ability provided unique information about brain structure and function. "Mental illness can arrest the full maturation of the frontal lobe, while degenerative illness can damage it," Professor Pantelis said. "This area of the brain is used to analyse and identify smells so an abnormal sense of smell may indicate problems in this 'thinking' area of the brain."

Their research also revealed that the sense of smell is worse in those with more severe illnesses, giving important clues into the patient's long-term prospects.

The research has been compiled in a new book, Olfaction and the Brain.
Posted by:.com

#14  synesthesia is trendy in neurological circles right now, because they figured out not only that it is indicative of all sorts of interesting brain cross-wiring; but also because synesthesiacs have such an unusual viewpoint of the world.

For instance, one of the more common versions is people who see music as color. Their enjoyment of music compared to other people is the difference between watching a movie and listening to it on the radio. And a synesthesiac who writes music will write as much for the "appearance" of music as for the sound--maybe more.

I also heard of an autistic child who saw time as a physical quantity. A day would look to him like an elephant, and as the day passed, the elephant would get smaller and smaller. A one-minute elephant would be tiny and then just disappear. But having such a strong mental image of an abstract made time a very understandable thing to him.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-12-06 21:12  

#13  Another one is synesthesia, or overlapping senses, such as people who "see" music as color

Anonymoose, that brings back memories of parties many moons ago, when some some heavy sh*t was being smoked.
It was pretty weird.
Posted by: tipper   2006-12-06 18:09  

#12  For whatever reason, people have an extraordinary memory when it comes to smells, easily recognizing smells not smelled since early childhood, many years later.

Part of this is because the human nose can detect more different odors than the eye can sense shades of color. Aromas represent some of the most complex and delicate chemical compounds on the entire planet. As an example, while wine has several hundred flavor and odor components, coffee has several thousand.

Some people also have genetic sensitivity to certain tastes which would influence their sense of smell.

This predisposition is being investigated as a possible candidate for why some people become such excellent chefs.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-06 16:41  

#11  Somehow, I'd bet I get room-mated with a guy that looks like Samuel L. Jackson in that Pulp Fiction blogad below, lol!
Posted by: BA   2006-12-06 13:20  

#10  Try not to get placed in a strightjacket... it would definately limit your -er- interaction....
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-12-06 13:07  

#9  Mewonders how in the world to get next to the "patient" in .com's pic

Well, BA, first go down and get diagnosed. Then they'll put you together as roommates. :-)
Posted by: gorb   2006-12-06 12:30  

#8  Yadda, yadda, yadda, all the science and stuff. Mewonders how in the world to get next to the "patient" in .com's pic, lol!
Posted by: BA   2006-12-06 11:22  

#7  Another factor has to do with smells and memory. For whatever reason, people have an extraordinary memory when it comes to smells, easily recognizing smells not smelled since early childhood, many years later.

Smelling also has its problems. Chief among these is "sinus fatigue", in which a strong smell masks a weak smell until the receptors can recover. For example, if you smell oil of wintergreen, it will mask the smell of a rose for several minutes.

A serious deficiency of zinc in the sinuses sometimes results in "garbage nose", in which everything smells horrible. But a mild case would just make some things smell worse.

Some people also have genetic sensitivity to certain tastes which would influence their sense of smell. For some, this means that broccoli and brussels sprouts taste horribly bitter. They will undoubtedly think that they therefore smell bad.

Other factors that will influence this test would include smell memory associations. For example, when someone smells oranges and it makes them think of their favorite butcher knife, it might be a cause for concern.

Another one is synesthesia, or overlapping senses, such as people who "see" music as color or people who "hear" smells.

Yep, there is a lot of study to do here.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-12-06 11:06  

#6  Just before the onset of a seizure, some people experience olfactory hallucinations. My dad always knew it was coming when he smelled oranges. Exploring this connection could be really interesting.
Posted by: exJAG   2006-12-06 07:49  

#5  Physical damage to the smelling apparatus would of course render the test moot in specific cases, but that doesn't make it invalid for the generality of undamaged subjects. I very much hope this test proves statistically valid -- there are many who would be aided by knowing the cause of their difficulties who can't afford MRIs and CAT scans and such. Especially adolescents, who often suffer for years with undiagnosed anxiety disorders or depression, f'r instance, due to simple brain chemical imbalances.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-12-06 07:18  

#4  So people who can't recognize BS by its odor have a thinking deficit. I knew it all along.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2006-12-06 06:17  

#3  This is a BS theory

Whatever you say, 3dc. :-)
Posted by: gorb   2006-12-06 02:18  

#2  Due to scar tissue from 3 sinus operations for all practical purposes I don't have a sense of smell. The same would go for others who have it damaged. This is a BS theory.

Posted by: 3dc   2006-12-06 01:57  

#1  First off, this test should be used to qualify all aspiring chefs.

Their research also revealed that the sense of smell is worse in those with more severe illnesses, giving important clues into the patient's long-term prospects.

Which goes a long way in explaining the rather odiferous properties of many Islamic terrorists.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-06 00:53  

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