Sense of smell 'can be improved through training' The sense of
smell can be improved through training, a study on rats
suggests. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, also
suggests if we do not use our sense of smell, we begin to lose
it. The New York University Langone Medical Center team says
their work also raises hopes of reversing loss of smell caused
by ageing or disease. But a UK expert thought that was unlikely.
Impairment in the sense of smell is associated with Alzheimer's
disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and even normal
ageing. Exactly why smell weakens remains a mystery, but the
Langone team have pinpointed a half-inch-sized area of the rat
brain called the piriform (olfactory) cortex where the problems
appear to occur.Rewards The researchers placed thirsty rats in
boxes with a snout-sized hole in each of three walls and exposed
them to brief blasts of odours through the middle hole. There
were three different smells: a mix of 10 chemicals from fruits,
oils, and cleaning agents;