6533b835fe1ef96bd12a0032
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Modulation of higher-order olfaction components on executive functions in humans
José Manuel Fernández-realMohammed A. IslamJosé M. MenchónFernando Fernández-arandaCristina BotellaSusana Jiménez-murciaCristina Giner-bartoloméRafael De La TorreAna B. FagundoAna B CrujeirasRosa M. BañosGema FrühbeckJavier Gómez-ambrosiFrancisco J. TinahonesRoser GraneroAntoni PastorFelipe F. Casanuevasubject
Test de StroopOlfactelcsh:Medicine:Psychiatry and Psychology::Psychological Phenomena and Processes::Mental Processes::Thinking::Decision Making [Medical Subject Headings]:Psychiatry and Psychology::Psychological Phenomena and Processes::Psychophysiology::Sensation::Smell [Medical Subject Headings]AudiologyPrefrontal cortex:Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::Humans [Medical Subject Headings]Executive FunctionOlfaction Disorderspiriform cortexHyposmiaOlfactory threshold:Psychiatry and Psychology::Behavioral Disciplines and Activities::Psychological Tests::Neuropsychological Tests::Stroop Test [Medical Subject Headings]older-adultsalzheimers-diseaselcsh:SciencePsychiatryMultidisciplinaryCognitive flexibilityCognitionMiddle AgedExecutive functionsSmellCognitive inhibitionNeurology:Diseases::Nervous System Diseases::Neurologic Manifestations::Sensation Disorders::Olfaction Disorders [Medical Subject Headings]FemaleFrontal lobemedicine.symptomPsychologyperformanceResearch ArticleAdultmedicine.medical_specialtyAdolescentOlfactionventromedial prefrontal cortexYoung AdultNeurologiamild cognitive impairmentLòbul frontalPruebas neuropsicológicasmedicineHumansTrastornos del olfatoPsiquiatriaToma de decisionesCognición:Psychiatry and Psychology::Psychological Phenomena and Processes::Mental Processes::Cognition [Medical Subject Headings]lcsh:Rdecision-makingOlfactory Perceptionodor identificationdeficits:Psychiatry and Psychology::Behavioral Disciplines and Activities::Psychological Tests::Neuropsychological Tests [Medical Subject Headings]:Psychiatry and Psychology::Psychological Phenomena and Processes::Mental Processes::Executive Function [Medical Subject Headings]lcsh:QOlfatoStroop effectdiscriminationdescription
The prefrontal (PFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) appear to be associated with both executive functions and olfaction. However, there is little data relating olfactory processing and executive functions in humans. The present study aimed at exploring the role of olfaction on executive functioning, making a distinction between primary and more cognitive aspects of olfaction. Three executive tasks of similar difficulty were used. One was used to assess hot executive functions (Iowa Gambling Task-IGT), and two as a measure of cold executive functioning (Stroop Colour and Word Test-SCWT and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test-WCST). Sixty two healthy participants were included: 31 with normosmia and 31 with hyposmia. Olfactory abilities were assessed using the ''Sniffin' Sticks'' test and the olfactory threshold, odour discrimination and odour identification measures were obtained. All participants were female, aged between 18 and 60. Results showed that participants with hyposmia displayed worse performance in decision making (IGT; Cohen's-d = 0.91) and cognitive flexibility (WCST; Cohen's-d between 0.54 and 0.68) compared to those with normosmia. Multiple regression adjusted by the covariates participants' age and education level showed a positive association between odour identification and the cognitive inhibition response (SCWT-interference; Beta = 0.29; p = .034). The odour discrimination capacity was not a predictor of the cognitive executive performance. Our results suggest that both hot and cold executive functions seem to be associated with higher-order olfactory functioning in humans. These results robustly support the hypothesis that olfaction and executive measures have a common neural substrate in PFC and OFC, and suggest that olfaction might be a reliable cognitive marker in psychiatric and neurologic disorders. This work was supported by the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS, Foundation for Health Investigation, grant number PI11/210), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (The Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number PSI2011-28349) and Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR, grant numbers 2014SGR1672 and 2014SGR680). ABF was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Subprograma Juan de la Cierva (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Juan de la Cierva Subprogram, grant number JCI-2011-09248). In addition, the Centros de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) programs are supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII).
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-17 |