Olfaction and Gustation Studies
Paul J. Moberg, Ph.D. |
Bruce I. Turetsky, M.D. |
Associate Professor of Neuropsychology |
Associate Professor of Psychiatry |
There is growing evidence to suggest that schizophrenia is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects fronto-temporal areas of the brain. A relatively neglected, but in many ways ideal, prove of the fronto-limbic system is olfaction. Olfactory processing is mediated by limbic structures implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The olfactory system is unique in that only one synapse lies between peripheral receptors and sensory cortex, providing one of the most direct links between the brain and environment. Patients with schizophrenia have significant olfactory deficits. Unlike the relatively statis pattern of cognitive deficits seen over the course of illness, though, olfactory abilities appear to decline in a linear fasion, independent of normal aging and gender effects. Family studies, however, have also demonstrated significant deficits in olfactory identification in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenic probands. It would seem, therefore, that olfactory brain regions are affected by genetically-mediated developmental, as well as neurodegenerative processes. Unfortunately, little is known about the developmental course and scope of olfactory processing deficits in schizophrenia, how they interact, and the manner in which they are moderated by age and gender.
We have a variety of olfactory studies in which we investigate psychophysical, anatomical and molecular aspects of olfactory dysfunction, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, in patients with schizophrenia, their unaffected family members and healthy controls.
ONGOING STUDIES
- Smell Ability: Psychophysics
- Smell Ability: Sniff Magnitude
- Electrophysiology: Cortical ERP
- Electrophysiology: Nasal Mucosal Recordings
- Olfactory MRI Studies
ABOUT THE TEAM
- Principle Investigators
- Paul J. Moberg, Ph.D.
- Bruce I. Turetsky, M.D.
- Staff
- Caryn Hussar
- Olfaction Links