Work

Humans without a sense of smell breathe differently

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Olfaction may play a restricted role in human behavior, yet paradoxically, its absence in anosmia is associated with diverse deleterious outcomes, culminating in reduced life expectancy. The mammalian nose serves two purposes: olfaction and breathing. Because respiratory patterns are impacted by odors, we hypothesized that nasal respiratory airflow may be altered in anosmia. We apply a wearable device that precisely logs nasal airflow for 24-hour-long sessions in participants with isolated congenital anosmia and controls. We observe significantly altered patterns of respiratory nasal airflow in anosmia in wake and in sleep. These differences allow classification of anosmia at 83% accuracy using the respiratory trace alone. Patterns of respiratory airflow have pronounced impact on health, emotion and cognition. We therefore suggest that a portion of the deleterious outcomes associated with anosmia may be attributed to altered patterns of respiratory nasal airflow rather than a direct result of lost odor perception per se. Humans use their nose to both smell and to breath, and respiratory patterns are known to be impacted by odors. Here, the authors applied a wearable respiratory logger to people without a sense of smell, and found that they breath differently. They suggest that this altered breathing may affect health, emotion and cognition.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52650-6