Olfaction and Symptoms in the Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Syndrome

Ross, Peter M.; Whysner, John; Covello, Vincent T.; Kuschner, Marvin; Rifkind, Arleen B.; Sedler, Mark J.; Trichopoulos, D; Williams, G M

doi:10.1006/pmed.1998.0469

Cited by 42 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…This syndrome is characterized by the absence of objective physical signs and by difficulty establishing biologically verified causal mechanisms (Labarge & 486 ZUCCO, MILITELLO, DOTY McCaffrey, 2000;Ross et al, 1999;Salvaggio & Terr, 1996;Staudenmayer & Selner, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Discriminating between organic and psychological determinants of multiple chemical sensitivity: A case study

2008

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Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a controversial disorder characterized by a diverse set of debilitating symptoms purportedly induced by environmental chemicals. Many cases of putative MCS are believed to have a strong psychogenic component, making it difficult to differentiate between organic and psychogenic causes. In this case report we describe a procedure that can aid in this differentiation. A patient who met a strict set of criteria for MCS was tested on two test occasions. On the first, the patient was found to have no olfactory dysfunction, as determined from standardized olfactory tests. On the second, odorants, as well as a blank stimulus, were presented to the patient with instructions as to whether they were harmful or harmless. The patient's task was to estimate the intensity of each odorant and report any induced MCS-related symptoms. Potentially harmful odorants presented as harmless were judged significantly less intense, and triggered fewer symptoms, than harmless odorants presented as harmful. When an odorless stimulus was presented as harmful, the patient provided higher intensity evaluations and exhibited more symptoms than when it was presented as harmless. These phenomena were not present in three non-MCS controls. This straight-forward procedure allowed us to determine that the MCS symptoms of this patient were largely psychological and may be of general value for identifying psychogenic cases of MCS.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Discriminating between organic and psychological determinants of multiple chemical sensitivity: A case study

2008

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“…3−8) Interestingly, olfactory dysfunction may also be induced by chemical, biological, and mental stress. 9,10) However, the molecular pathogenesis of these OB size-related defects is incompletely understood.…”

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confidence: 99%

Activating transcription factor 5 is required for mouse olfactory bulb development via interneuron

Umemura

Tsunematsu

Shimizu

et al. 2015

Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry

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Activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) is a stress response transcription factor of the cAMP-responsive element-binding/ATF family. Earlier, we reported that ATF5 expression is up-regulated in response to stress, such as amino acid limitation or arsenite exposure. Although ATF5 is widely expressed in the brain and the olfactory epithelium, the role of ATF5 is not fully understood. Here, the olfactory bulbs (OBs) of ATF5-deficient mice are smaller than those of wild-type mice. Histological analysis reveals the disturbed laminar structure of the OB, showing the thinner olfactory nerve layer, and a reduced number of interneurons. This is mainly due to the reduced number of bromodeoxyuridine-positive proliferating cells in the subventricular zone, where the interneuron progenitors are formed and migrate to the OBs. Moreover, the olfaction-related aggressive behavior of ATF5-deficient mice is reduced compared to wild-type mice. Our data suggest that ATF5 plays a crucial role in mouse OB development via interneuron.

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“…Oral breathing can help eliminate cognitive bias based on the odor of the stimuli and help detect hypersensitivity because of the presence of neural receptors cells in the upper airway that help perceive pungency. 13 Thus, the response of the participant using oral breathing may indicate realistic response to odors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%