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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Author Spotlight: Assessing the Olfactory Effects of Airborne Pollutants — Buried Food and Social Odor Tests
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Impaired olfactory function in substance use disorder.

Clara U Raithel1, Garrick T Sherman1, David H Epstein1

  • 1National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Blvd, 21224, MD, Baltimore, USA.

Psychopharmacology
|December 21, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) show impaired olfactory identification compared to controls. This suggests a link between smell dysfunction and SUDs, warranting further investigation into the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords:
Chemical sensesDrug useOlfaction

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Olfactory function is crucial for motivated behaviors and is impaired in conditions like major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
  • The impact of olfactory function on other substance use disorders (SUDs) beyond AUD remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between olfactory abilities and SUDs in individuals not diagnosed with AUD.
  • To compare olfactory performance between individuals with SUDs and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Olfactory tests (odor identification and threshold) using Sniffin' Sticks were administered to 40 individuals with SUDs (excluding AUD) and 112 controls.
  • Linear regression models were used to compare groups, controlling for age, sex, and smoking status.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with SUDs exhibited significantly lower odor identification scores compared to controls.
  • No overall significant difference in olfactory thresholds was found between groups.
  • Exploratory analysis revealed lower olfactory thresholds in men with SUDs compared to male controls, a pattern not observed in women.

Conclusions:

  • Olfactory identification is impaired in individuals with SUDs, suggesting a potential role for smell dysfunction in these disorders.
  • Further longitudinal research is necessary to determine the temporal relationship between olfactory deficits, substance use, and SUD development or symptomatology.