Olfactory impairment in neuropsychiatric disorders

Abstract

Introduction, Being the most evocative of senses, olfaction produces powerful responses in humans and is used as a primitive but potent form of communication among animals. As discussed in Section 1, our understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying olfactory function has improved markedly in recent years, such that brain areas subserving various olfactory abilities have been identified. For example, it has been demonstrated that olfactory function can be broadly divided into acuity, identification ability and olfactory memory, and that each of these are subserved by interrelated cerebral systems. These systems are differentially affected in various neurological and neuropsychiatric disor..