It’s Good for Your Brain to Smell the Roses.

Why It Matters

If reproducible, a simple, noninvasive olfactory intervention could influence brain structures tied to memory, raising questions about potential implications for aging and Alzheimer’s research; however, current evidence is too limited to support clinical use.

Summary

A small Japanese study found that wearing rose-scented oil on clothing daily for one month was associated with increased posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) volume and overall gray matter on MRI in 28 healthy women compared with 22 who applied water. The PCC is linked to memory retrieval, odor-memory associations and semantic processing, while other olfactory-related regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala showed no volume change. The trial was unblinded, limited to women, had a small sample size and measured only structural MRI changes rather than clinical outcomes. Authors say the findings are intriguing but preliminary and require larger, controlled studies to assess functional and long-term effects.

Original Description

Continuous inhalation of essential oil increases grey matter volume.

Kokubun et al.

March 2024

Brain research bulletin