Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory . . . in older adults; Front. Neurosci., 24 July 2023

[Mary]

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448/full

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230801/Aromas-while-sleeping-boost-cognitive-capacity.aspx

I bought a diffuser to try this out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BMVCBDD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 - it has a timer, and also has lights but you're supposed to be able to turn off the lights feature - the last thing I want while trying to sleep is more light! And I got some pine essential oil. Hopefully it'll be fine, I avoid artificial scents. I'll have to figure out how to use the diffuser, it sounds simple, but I often get stumped by the simplest things!

I don't really have brain fog, but my memory is just not very good, though it never has been that good. Anyways, we'll see - I can't help but think about the study linked in this thread about the scent of menthol improving cognitive functioning in mice models with Alzheimer's: https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...ies-of-menthol-inhalation-casares-4-23.90048/

 

[Hufsamor]

I read a summary of this article just the other day.
And for the last three days, since I read it, I have been sniffing everything throughout the day… I have terrible brain fog, and I’d love to help my brain as much as I can..
I’m sniffing the toothpaste, the butter, the coffee, the salad…

Your article have much more details than mine had!
So thanks for the link

I’ve mostly had superpower when it comes to smells, my nose have been kind of hyperactive. But the last 2-3 years it’s lost its magic. (Covid? Age?) much to my relief I must admit, as odours can be rather intrusive.
But now, I’m kind of discovering the world of smells all over again.

I’d love to know how you get along with your diffuser

 

[datadragon]

Menthol produced significant improvement in learning and memory. Menthol exhibited excellent antioxidant effect and maintain glutamate concentration in various region of the mouse brain for management of preliminary symptoms of memory impairment. It is suggested that a selective decrease in hippocampal glutamate concentration may account for deterioration in learning and memory process, considering the important role of this neurotransmitter in the cognitive functions. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22329901/

menthol can act directly on presynaptic Ca 2+ stores of sensory neurons to release Ca 2+, resulting in a facilitation of glutamate release and a modulation of neuronal transmission at sensory synapses. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6729265/

This goes along with all the research I posted here https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...-into-long-covid-brain-fog.90640/post-2441838 There are many other effects of menthol however that may need to be considered.

 

[lenora]

I have a terrible time with a lot of odors, diffusers and sprays most of all. Still, I wonder if natural smells like vanilla, different spices, bacon....that type of thing would be OK. I smell food cooking, and it smells good. I go to eat it and have zero appetite.

Instead of memory problems, I seem to be heading in the direction of Parkinson's from what I read. Is there anything that's safe, non-intrusive and can be used by people like us. (People Like Us wasn't that a book?)W We're special, right? Let us know how things work out for you. Yours, Lenor

 

[maddietod]

This is so interesting. Researchers got excellent results with one oil for 2 hours at night, or 9 oils twice a day, or...there were some others. So the results are not distinctly from duration or variety. This will be fun to play with. I already have the essential oils, and I think I'll start with one on my pillow tonight.

@lenora pure essential oil is the only scent I tolerate. The cheap ones slip in fragrance.

 

[datadragon]

Good luck if you decide to test it. Yes, seven essential oils: rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint (which has menthol), rosemary, lavender have been used to enhance memory by aromatherapy. Some experiments looked at 1,8-cineole, or eucalyptol - a compound that's present in many plant essential oils. The oral benefits are better known but aromatherapy delivery isnt well studied in comparison. Probably better to try one at a time like rosemary alone for example.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...2308/cognition-boost-of-226-from-aromatherapy
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409091104.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20377818/

Menthol I should mention has dose dependent effects orally https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17855602/ "In whole-cell and single-channel recordings of heterologously expressed TRPA1, submicromolar to low-micromolar concentrations of menthol cause channel activation, whereas higher concentrations lead to a reversible channel block." and also Menthol acts via transient receptor potential (TRPM8 and TRPA1) channels and as a positive allosteric modulator of recombinant GABAA receptors. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4243856/ 1,8-cineole in eucalyptus oil also activates TRPM8 and inhibits TRPA1 while down regulating P2X3, aiding in the reduction of cough, pain and airway irritation https://respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12931-023-02347-z

 

[Judee]

I grew up around menthol cigarette smokers. Most of them quit eventually but by then both my Mom and I had developed strong sensitivities to menthol.

Also my MCS seems affected by some essential oils as well so wanted to throw in some caution...that if you have MCS you may still react in a similar fashion to such concentrated smells even if they are natural.

Edit: Even some flowers in close quarters cause me to react...one co-worker used to bring in a vase with some hyacinth in the spring...outside they were fine but in a closed up office.

 

[maddietod]

Good luck if you decide to test it. Yes, seven essential oils: rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint (which has menthol), rosemary, lavender have been used to enhance memory by aromatherapy. Some experiments looked at 1,8-cineole, or eucalyptol - a compound that's present in many plant essential oils. The oral benefits are better known but aromatherapy delivery isnt well studied in comparison. Probably better to try one at a time like rosemary alone for example.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...2308/cognition-boost-of-226-from-aromatherapy
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409091104.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20377818/

Thanks for this list. I have quite a stash of essential oils, so this is pretty easy to play with. I used blue tansy last night, very relaxing.

I found an "aromatherapy diffuser necklace" I bought on Etsy as a gift I never gave away. I put a drop of eucalyptus on a bit of paper towel this morning, and as my skin warms the metal, the scent comes right up my nose.

 

[lenora]

Right, @Judee.....I find the exact same thing with magnolias. Fine for the garden, but keep them a long distance from me.

@maddietod.....I should try some of the pure essential oils. e.g. I love the smell of lavender.

 

[maddietod]

@lenora Smell the lavenders if you can. There are lots of different ones, ranging from sharp to sweet. Some kinda hurt my nose.

 

[Treeman]

I've always loved the smell of lemon essential oils. They are uplifting and make me feel very positive. I'm going to have to do them more often.

 

[Hufsamor]

I stumbled over an article about smell.
This is about how you might train up your ability to smell again, and not about brain fog or dementia. But I wanted to share it with you nevertheless

https://tisserandinstitute.org/olfactory-training-and-recovery-of-smell-loss/

Some highlights from the article:

The protocol consists of systematic exposure to four odorant substances over a period of 12 weeks.

These were selected based on the ‘odor prism’ theory established by Henning in 1916 and representing four of the six categories in that theory: flowery, fruity, resinous and aromatic.

The odorants used are undiluted single chemicals: phenylethanol (rosy), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptus), citronellal (lemony) and eugenol (clove). In olfactory training, each odor is smelled for just ten seconds each morning and evening.

Some researchers experimented with the protocol – one study examined whether the use of more than four odors, plus an extension of the training period, might lead to better results .

The 85 subjects of this study were divided into three groups
– one performed olfactory training twice daily for 36 weeks with the standard four odors.
-The second group switched odors every 12 weeks. They started with phenylethanol, 1,8-cineole, citronellal, eugenol; first switch to menthol, thyme, tangerine, jasmine; last group of odors was green tea, bergamot, rosemary, gardenia. (It’s not clear whether any of these were essential oils.)
-The third group was a control.

Although two other studies (Hummel et al, 2009 and Damm et al, 2014) examined olfactory training for 12 and 18 weeks respectively with no significant difference, this study found a continuous improvement from baseline to the end of the observation period. However, the improvement slowed significantly after 24 weeks. The three groups reached similar threshold scores, but the determination capabilities of the group that rotated odors were significantly higher – switching the odors around was indeed beneficial

 

[Hufsamor]

So what’s suggested here is to use smells from different groups.
(I didn’t even know smells had groups)

flowery, fruity, resinous and aromatic. (And even better if you use smells from the two other groups, but I don’t know the English name on those)

And it seems to be good to rotate the smells, different flowers, different fruits.

(Of course, I don’t know if rotating will be better for memory as well, or if memory is better off with some aromas than others.)

 

[maddietod]

Tisserand is a widely respected essential oils family company, so I imagine the tests were done with their oils. They left out the 'putrid' and 'burnt' scent groups.

 

[maddietod]

I should have read the article before commenting. Of course you know who Tisserand is. I like this idea of changing up the type of scent, since I'm using it for brain stimulation. So these layman's ('flowery') and scientific (1.8 Cineole) categories are fun to play with.

It looks like Phenylethanol is floral, 1.8 Cineole includes eucalyptus, helicyrysum, niaouli, laurel leaf, and ravinsara, Citronella is maybe only lemongrass, and Eugenol includes clove, cinnamon, tulsi, and pepper. That was a fun rabbit hole, and now I'm done.

 

[Hufsamor]

Don’t worry.
I had no idea who Tisserand is.
But now I’m gonna google and see if I’m able to get some of their oils to an affordable price …
(I haven’t known which company to by from.)

 

[Shanti1]

From the study:

"Individuals assigned to the olfactory enrichment group were provided with an odorant diffuser (Diffuser World) and 7 essential oil odorants (rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender; from The Essential Oil Company, Portland, OR) in identical glass vials that each fit into the diffuser. They were asked to turn on the diffuser when they went to bed, and the odorant was released into the air during the night for 2 h when they first went to sleep."

I have a diffuser and some of these essential oils. I'm going to give it a try starting tonight. Thanks for posting @Mary

 

[lenora]

I'll try, @Shanti1. They sound like nice odors (except peppermint). Thanks for sending information. Yours, Lenora P.S. Which diffuser? I just checked & there are a lot of them. L.

 

[Shanti1]

Hi Lenora, The brand is NewGreenAir, but I didn't buy it myself, it was a gift, so I didn't go through the process of finding the diffuser that I thought would be best.

It is an ultrasonic diffuser, which I like, but if I were going to pick one out for myself I would probably look for one that has a timer to turn it off while I'm asleep.

 

[Judee]

Something else I just remembered about essential oils that I don't think many people know is that they can be toxic to pets.

https://www.foundanimals.org/essential-oils-toxic-pets/