Monday, October 12, 2015

What is anosmia?

Smell can be defined as an olfactory experience . Humans have about 12 million olfactory receptor cells which can detect about 10 thousand odours. (Dogs have 100-200 million receptors which can detect 40 thousand odours).

Anosmia is the loss of sense of smell. It can be a result of a head injury, stroke, Parkinson's Disease, or aging.

Anosmia can contribute to depression and loneliness. Smells trigger the limbic system of the brain via the olfactory nerve. The limbic system regulates memory, mood, and emotion which is why smells can trigger old memories. So if a person can't smell, their limbic brains are not triggered, contributing to depression.

Studies show that humans subconsciously transmit emotions via smell. This may explain why dogs seem so sensitive to human feeling (we call it intuitive, but it may be smell).

Studies show that the fear of smell is contagious.

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