Smell - The Surprising Link Between Olfaction and Dementia

Our sense of smell is often dismissed as our less important than sight and hearing, but what if it’s quietly shaping our memories, mood and long‑term brain health? In this episode, Health Journalists Helen Thomson and Cat de Lange explore the surprising brain superhighway between scent, emotion and memory, to explore why certain smells can yank you back to childhood and why smell could hold the key to healthy brain aging. They are joined by neuroscientist Michael Leon, who explains what happens when we lose our sense of smell, and staggeringly that simply enriching your life with pleasant scents could help protect you from diseases like Alzheimer’s. Produced by Emily Bird We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠⁠⁠ Find out more about your senses at New Scientist: ⁠https://www.newscientist.com/article-topic/senses/⁠ Learn more about our sponsor Alzheimer’s Society: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.newscientist.com/alzheimers-society/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sources https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.15048 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-69772-y https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448/full https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trc2.70120 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ggi.14344 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2517205-if-a-drug-had-the-same-benefits-as-the-arts-wed-take-it-every-day/