A patient’s of smell could be restored using radio waves without having to undergo surgery, according to new research.
Worldwide, there are actually very few effective treatments for those who have lost their sense of smell, perhaps from a brain injury. Treatments that do exist often use strong ‘scentas’ or medicines that can cause discomfort in patients.
Now, a new study by researchers in South Korea suggests that a “simple and painless” way to regenerate the olfactory is to utilize radio waves to directly target the part of our brain responsible for smell, without causing pain.
Researchers from Hanyang and Kwangwoon universities asked volunteers with a healthy sense of smell to sit while a small radio antenna was placed near, but not touching, their forehead.
For five minutes, the antenna gently sent out radio waves to reach the smell-related nerves deep in the brain.
Before and after the short treatment, the research team tested how well the patient could smell very faint odors, such as diluted alcohol or fruit scents.
The researchers also recorded the patients’ brain signals to see how active their smell nerves were.
The findings, published in the journal APL Bioengineering, showed that the method improved subjects’ sense of smell for over a week after just one treatment.
“The method is completely non-invasive—no surgery or chemicals needed—and safe, as it does not overheat the skin or cause discomfort,” said study author Professor Jang Yon-woong.
“This study represents the first time that a person’s sense of smell has been improved using radio waves without any physical contact or chemicals, and the first attempt to explore radio frequency stimulation as a potential therapy for neurological conditions.”
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One potential weakness in the study pursuant to the idea that the method could help those with olfactory dysfunction is obviously that the patients didn’t suffer from it.
Being that the focus was on people with a normal sense of smell, however, the authors note it could help professionals such as perfumers, chefs, or sommeliers who need to distinguish aromatic subtleties.
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Dr. Jang next plans to conduct a similar study on people with olfactory dysfunction such as anosmia, a complete loss of smell, or hyposmia, a reduced sense of smell.
“This will help us determine whether the treatment can truly benefit those who need it most.”
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