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Olfactory Neurons Obtained through Nasal Biopsy Combined with Laser-Capture Microdissection: A Potential Approach to Study Treatment Response in Mental Disorders
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Olfactory Neurons Obtained through Nasal Biopsy Combined with Laser-Capture Microdissection: A Potential Approach to Study Treatment Response in Mental Disorders

Published on: December 4, 2014

Unirhinal olfactory identification deficits in young male patients with schizophrenia and related disorders:

Kimberley P Good1, Jeffrey S Martzke, Heather I Milliken

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Suite 4019-5909, Jubilee Road, Halifax, NS B3H 2E2, Canada. kimpgood@is.dal.ca

Schizophrenia Research
|June 20, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Unirhinal olfactory deficits (microsmia) may help subtype male patients with schizophrenia. Left nostril microsmia is linked to verbal memory deficits, while both left and right microsmia correlate with non-verbal memory impairment.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Subgroups of male patients with psychotic disorders exhibit unirhinal olfactory identification deficits (microsmia).
  • Schizophrenia pathogenesis is linked to brain areas potentially affected by olfactory dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between left or right nostril microsmia and neuropsychological test performance.
  • To explore the association between olfactory deficits and brain region dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty-six male patients with schizophrenia or related disorders underwent neuropsychological testing.
  • The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) was used for unirhinal olfactory assessment.
  • Patients were classified into olfactory subgroups (right microsmic, left microsmic, normosmic controls) for comparison.

Main Results:

  • A significant three-way interaction was observed between olfactory subgroup, hemisphere, and brain region.
  • Non-verbal memory impairment was evident in both right and left microsmic subgroups.
  • Verbal memory deficits were specifically observed in patients with left nostril microsmia.

Conclusions:

  • Unirhinal olfactory performance can serve as a meaningful biomarker for subtyping schizophrenia patients.
  • Olfactory deficits in schizophrenia are associated with temporal lobe dysfunction, not frontal lobe abnormalities.
  • Findings support the link between right temporal lobe integrity and olfactory processing.

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