Archive for July, 2007
Climate-controlled golf carts include aromatherapy
A Dubai golf club is the first in the middle east to use climate-controlled, scented golf carts. The Coolwell G2 cart allows the user to insert a fragrance cartridge containing various botanical scents to help the golfers relax and sharpen their concentration, moods likely to enhance a golf game. The carts also offer dry air conditioning as well as heat for the winter months. The Coolwell G2 can be found at the Montgomerie, Dubai. Read more at AME Info
Add comment July 14, 2007
Hope for those who’ve lost their scents
A chemical found in tea might just hold the key to restoring olfactory capabilities. At the Experimental Biology meeting in Washington DC this spring, neurobiologist Robert Henkin revealed some interesting findings. Henkin, director of the Taste and Smell Clinic, has been treating patients with theophylline, a stimulant that’s abundant in black tea, and seeing some success. Henking had done studies among people with loss of smell (anosmia), and found a correlation between presence of cyclic-AMP and cyclic-GMP in nasal mucus and the ability to smell. Theophylline inhibits the breakdown of these compounds, as well as acting to decrease “death factors” in nasal mucus. Read more in Science News
Add comment July 13, 2007
Decline in olfactory abilities may signal Alzheimer disease
A recent study found that elderly persons with poor scent capabilities were more likely to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which often precedes Alzheimer’s. The study, published this month in the Archives of General Psychiatry, studied 589 “community-dwelling older persons” without cognitive impairment. Over the course of several years, odor identification tests and cognitive tests were repeated. Over time, the study showed increased risk for MCI among those with below-average odor identifications scores. Impaired odor identification was also associated with more rapid decline in episodic memory, semantic memory, and perceptual speed. See the abstract of the study and more at Science Daily
Add comment July 10, 2007
Pheromones spark neuron growth
Pheromones might be able to help repair brain damage, according to a recent study done on mice. Female mice tend to prefer dominant male mice, the presence of which causes actual neuron growth in the brain. The neuron growth occurs in the areas thought to be targeted by pheromones, specifically the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, the areas that involve scent and memory. When scientists disrupted the brain grown normally triggered in the females, the females lost interest in the dominant males. The females were also disinterested in non-dominant males. Scientists at University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute suggest that this discovery may lead to a way of using pheromones to help people with brain injuries. Read more at MSNBC and Medical News Today, or see the abstract in Nature Neuroscience
1 comment July 9, 2007
