{"id":1324,"date":"2020-06-18T13:28:59","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T13:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1324"},"modified":"2020-06-18T13:29:58","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T13:29:58","slug":"why-does-coronavirus-make-people-lose-their-sense-of-smell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1324\/why-does-coronavirus-make-people-lose-their-sense-of-smell\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does coronavirus make people lose their sense of smell?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by\u00a0Ian Le Guillou<\/h5>\n

To begin with, it was just anecdotal reports. Ear, nose and throat specialists from around the world were sharing their experiences on online message boards \u2013 they were all seeing a spike in patients experiencing anosmia, a loss of smell.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The link with coronavirus was brought to public attention by\u00a0specialists in the UK<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0late March<\/a>, and since then health organisations have gradually added anosmia to the list of symptoms for Covid-19. According to a recent study, about two-thirds of people with Covid-19 experience a sudden loss in\u00a0smell or taste<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Professor Noam Sobel from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and his lab are experts in our sense of smell, or olfaction.<\/p>\n

\u2018An ex-member of our lab, who had since moved to London, caught Covid-19 and became completely anosmic. So we had really detailed reports from our friend who, unlike most people, was very, very well trained in describing his olfactory experience,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

This gave the lab a reliable, if anecdotal, description of the role of anosmia. In this particular case, the total loss of smell happened a day after the appearance of other symptoms. That made Prof. Sobel wonder if a more subtle, gradual loss of smell could be a much-needed early warning of Covid-19. However, the challenge is to find a way to detect that.<\/p>\n

‘Humans are notoriously poor at reporting on their own sense of smell. If I were to ask you if your sense of smell today is slightly better or worse than it was yesterday, you would not notice mild changes,’ he said.<\/p>\n

This led Prof. Sobel to create the\u00a0Smell Tracker<\/a>, an online system that uses common household items, such as honey, garlic and toothpaste, for the public to test their sense of smell.<\/p>\n

Already 14,000 people have used it to help identify changes in their sense of smell. Prof. Sobel hopes that if it becomes more widely used then it could also help policymakers to track the spread of the disease in different regions. Already, the tracker\u2019s popularity in Sweden allowed the researchers to identify a peak in anosmia around 15 April.<\/p>\n

Olfactory bulb<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cause of coronavirus-related anosmia is still unknown, but our understanding of how smell works is helping narrow it down.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not that the nose is blocked with mucus \u2013 that would be the simplest explanation,\u2019 said Dr Matthew Grubb, from King\u2019s College London in the UK. He is a neuroscientist specialising in the olfactory bulb, the first region of the brain responsible for processing our sense of smell.<\/p>\n

Almost all of our brain cells are created by the time we are born, and they can last a lifetime. The mammalian olfactory bulb is almost unique in continually producing new neurons throughout adult life. It is this behaviour that drew Dr Grubb into this area of research.<\/p>\n

\u2018I still find it fascinating. Building a brain from scratch is hard enough, with its intricate connectivity between the cells\u2026 But then introducing new cells into it, you can imagine that would have the potential to really mess things up,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

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\u2018It\u2019s not that the nose is blocked with mucus \u2013 that would be the simplest explanation.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dr Matthew Grubb, King\u2019s College London, UK<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

It is still not clear why the olfactory bulb does this. One idea is that having lots of young neurons allows the bulb to adapt more easily to changes. Dr Grubb is running a project called\u00a0Funcoplan<\/a>\u00a0to understand whether new cells respond differently to changes in the environment.<\/p>\n

In March, he co-wrote a\u00a0research paper<\/a>\u00a0setting out potential causes of anosmia in Covid-19 patients.<\/p>\n

\u2018(Olfactory) sensory neurons (in the nose) are the cells that do the detecting of odour and stimuli and send those signals to the brain. If they die, then you don\u2019t lose them forever. They can regenerate, but that takes a few weeks,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018The fact that the recovery (of the sense of smell) seems to be a bit quicker with Covid-19 started to make people think that maybe it\u2019s not infecting the neurons themselves.\u2019<\/p>\n

This shifted attention away from neurons to different types of cells that can regenerate quickly. In particular, ones known as sustentacular cells, which provide support for the olfactory sensory neurons.<\/p>\n

These supporting cells can produce high levels of ACE2, a protein that the coronavirus uses to invade the cell. By comparison, the olfactory neurons have no ACE2, meaning that they pass unnoticed by the virus.<\/p>\n

One idea is that those supporting cells are getting infected and dying off, says Dr Grubb. \u2018Without the support cells, the neurons can\u2019t function anymore. Once those supporting cells regenerate themselves, which can happen quite quickly, then the neurons can function once more and people can smell again.\u2019<\/p>\n

Loss<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prof. Sobel has been receiving \u2018countless\u2019 emails from people worried about their loss of smell. Mostly, the worry comes from the possibility that it will not come back, which it has done so far for the vast majority.<\/p>\n

He says that our sense of smell fits with the clich\u00e9 of \u2018not noticing how important it is until you lose it.\u2019 A big part of his work is to show just how important the sense of smell is in social interactions.<\/p>\n

‘We have this view that social chemo-signalling is a big part of human social behaviour,’ he said. Through a project called\u00a0SocioSmell<\/a>, he is investigating this idea across different aspects of social interactions.<\/p>\n

Last year, he wrote a\u00a0review of research<\/a>\u00a0showing that people are very likely to sniff their hands subconsciously after a handshake, potentially to get a sense of the other person. This bizarre finding takes on a much greater importance during a time when handshakes are discouraged to prevent the spread of coronavirus.<\/p>\n

\u2018We know that about 25% of viral transmission is through bringing your own hands to your face. That was an estimate before Covid. Thinking in evolutionary terms, if a behaviour persists despite a very high cost, it must also confer a significant advantage. There must be a very, very good reason to do it,\u2019 said Prof. Sobel.<\/p>\n

He has also collected what he believes to be the largest fear sweat collection in the world, with more than 1,000 body odour samples from first-time parachutists in the Israeli army. With this unique collection, he has been able to show that the smell of fear reduces people\u2019s performance in a trust-based task, while\u00a0people with autism spectrum disorder performed better.<\/p>\n

\u2018In mammals, the sensory system that underlies both emotion and social interaction is their sense of smell. Our big picture claim is that humans are largely like that as well,\u2019 said Prof. Sobel.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is not a popular thing to say, but our view is that humans are olfactory animals \u2013 it shows up in every direction that we look.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Published by Horizon<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Ian Le Guillou To begin with, it was just anecdotal reports. Ear, nose and throat specialists from around the world were sharing their experiences on online message boards \u2013 they were all seeing a spike in patients experiencing anosmia, a loss of smell. The link with coronavirus was brought to public attention by\u00a0specialists in the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":1325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy does coronavirus make people lose their sense of smell? - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1324\/why-does-coronavirus-make-people-lose-their-sense-of-smell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why does coronavirus make people lose their sense of smell?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by\u00a0Ian Le Guillou To begin with, it was just anecdotal reports. 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chancellor at Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK, who says global institutions such as the World Health Organization and World Bank should stand together\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Global agencies need to see coronavirus not just as a health crisis, but as a development and economic one, too, says Professor Colin McInnes of Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK. Image credit - Unsplash\/ Thomas de LUZE","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/thomas-de-luze_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/thomas-de-luze_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/thomas-de-luze_sm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/thomas-de-luze_sm.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/thomas-de-luze_sm.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1603,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1603\/qa-why-history-suggests-covid-19-is-here-to-stay\/","url_meta":{"origin":1324,"position":1},"title":"Q&A: Why history suggests Covid-19 is here to stay","author":"Anthony King","date":"January 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A mysterious\u00a0flu-like illness that caused loss of taste and smell in the late 19th century\u00a0was probably caused by a coronavirus that still causes the \u2018common cold\u2019 in people today, according to Professor Marc Van Ranst at KU Leuven in Belgium, an expert on coronaviruses. He says that the foothold of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/photo-1584631838679-3737b5a77c71.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/photo-1584631838679-3737b5a77c71.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/photo-1584631838679-3737b5a77c71.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/photo-1584631838679-3737b5a77c71.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/photo-1584631838679-3737b5a77c71.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2691,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2691\/smell-trouble-the-fight-for-the-powers-of-the-nose\/","url_meta":{"origin":1324,"position":2},"title":"Smell trouble: the fight for the powers of the nose","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers are seeking to ensure that people retain their ability to detect scents. By \u00a0B\u00e1rbara Pinho A decade ago, in a field of orange trees in southern Greece, St\u00e9phane Tawil realised that he had lost his sense of smell \u2013 completely. Tawil was with friends who were remarking on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/4-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/4-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/4-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/4-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/4-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/4-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1197,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1197\/covid-19-social-distancing-will-help-health-authorities-deal-with-coronavirus-says-epidemiologist\/","url_meta":{"origin":1324,"position":3},"title":"Covid-19: Social distancing will help health authorities deal with coronavirus, says epidemiologist","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Richard Gray Social distancing policies, such as cancelling high-density gatherings, discouraging handshakes and asking people to increase their distance from each other will delay a coronavirus pandemic and help health authorities plan resources, according to epidemiologist Dr Vittoria Colizza who is modelling the spread of Covid-19 and the effectiveness of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"There are still many unanswered questions about SARS-CoV-2, such as whether children are affected. Image credit - NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML)\/Public domain","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/SARS-CoV-2_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/SARS-CoV-2_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/SARS-CoV-2_sm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/SARS-CoV-2_sm.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/SARS-CoV-2_sm.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":780,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/780\/real-time-whatsapp-advice-aids-surgery-in-rural-malawi\/","url_meta":{"origin":1324,"position":4},"title":"Real-time WhatsApp advice aids surgery in rural Malawi","author":"Gary Finnegan","date":"April 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In remote, rural corners of Malawi, hospitals are often faced with life-and-death decisions. 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Image credit - Jakub Gajewski","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/ambulance.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/ambulance.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/ambulance.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/ambulance.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/ambulance.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/ambulance.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1257,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1257\/qa-china-and-europe-likely-to-see-different-effect-of-coronavirus-related-air-pollution-drop\/","url_meta":{"origin":1324,"position":5},"title":"Q&A: China and Europe likely to see different effect of coronavirus-related air pollution drop","author":"Catherine Collins","date":"April 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In March,\u00a0a study revealed\u00a0that between 50,000 and 100,000 deaths could be avoided this year in China if air pollution stayed at the same level as during the coronavirus lockdown. While other parts of the world have also seen improvements in air quality, the impact in Europe is likely to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Coronavirus lockdowns have caused air pollution to drop. Science is probing whether air pollution worsens the effects of coronavirus, with recent studies including in Italy suggesting there\u2019s a link between polluted areas and higher fatality risk. 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