Loss of Sense of Smell May Be an Early Sign of Depression
A diminished sense of smell is associated with several serious health conditions, including a COVID-19 infection, nasal polyps, and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In a study recently published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, researchers found a link between decreased sense of smell and risk for developing late-life depression. While study findings didn’t demonstrate that losing your sense of smell directly causes depression, they did suggest that the change could indicate that depressive symptoms and diminished wellbeing may be ahead. The findings also suggest that the worse a person’s sense of smell is, the more likely it is that they will have more depressive symptoms. One explanation may be that smell is an important way in which we engage with the world around us, affecting how we enjoy food, detect noxious gas or other problems, and perceive the pleasant and unpleasant scents around us. Losing that sense can affect quality of life in many ways. Researchers also noted that losing your sense of smell may be related to changes in serotonin levels and brain volume, which may also affect depression. The next phase of research for these investigators will focus on whether interventions to improve smell sense may be effective in reducing depression risk.
The post Loss of Sense of Smell May Be an Early Sign of Depression appeared first on University Health News.
Read Original Article: Loss of Sense of Smell May Be an Early Sign of Depression »
