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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder01:28

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, which consume significant time and interfere with daily functioning. Obsessions involve persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that evoke anxiety. Common examples include irrational fears of contamination or harm. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. For instance, individuals...
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...

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Regional, functional and transcriptomic decoding of multidimensional brain structure alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Brain structural imaging correlates of olfactory dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Cinto Segalàs1, Pino Alonso, Arantxa Orbegozo

  • 1OCD Clinical and Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Bellvitge, Bellvitge University Hospital, c/Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907, Barcelona, Spain, csegalas@bellvitgehospital.cat.

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
|September 3, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is linked to impaired olfactory function. Gray matter volume changes in specific brain regions, like the anterior cingulate cortex and medial orbital gyrus, correlate with smell deficits in OCD patients.

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

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A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Olfactory dysfunction is reported in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
  • Brain regions involved in smell processing overlap with neurobiological models of OCD.
  • Neuroanatomical correlates of olfactory dysfunction in OCD remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between regional gray matter volume and olfactory function in OCD patients.
  • To utilize voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and the Sniffin' Sticks test (SST) to assess these relationships.
  • To explore differences in brain structure and olfactory performance between OCD patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to obtain T1-weighted anatomical scans from 19 OCD patients and 19 healthy volunteers.
  • Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis with SPM8 was performed on the MRI data.
  • The Sniffin' Sticks test (SST) assessed olfactory function in terms of detection threshold, discrimination, and identification.

Main Results:

  • OCD patients exhibited significant impairments across all assessed domains of the SST.
  • In healthy controls, increased gray matter in the left anterior cingulate cortex correlated with a lower detection threshold.
  • In OCD patients, increased gray matter in the left medial orbital gyrus correlated with more identification errors.

Conclusions:

  • Olfactory dysfunction in OCD is associated with volumetric alterations in brain regions implicated in the disorder's neurobiology.
  • Specific correlations were found between olfactory performance and gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex and medial orbital gyrus.
  • These findings highlight the link between structural brain changes and sensory processing deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder.