Why Some Depressed Girls Can't Smell The Roses
Thursday, January 3, 2008

New TAU research links depression to loss of the sense of smell,
suggesting that the blues may have biological roots

Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld

Can't smell the roses? Maybe you're depressed. Smell too much like a
rose yourself? Maybe you've got the same problem. Scientists from Tel
Aviv University recently linked depression to a biological mechanism
that affects the olfactory glands. It might explain why some women,
without realizing it, wear too much perfume.

Scientific research that supports this theory was published this year
in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism. "Our scientific findings
suggest that women who are depressed are also losing their sense of
smell, and may overcompensate by using more perfume," explains
researcher Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, a member of the Sackler Faculty of
Medicine at Tel Aviv University. "We also believe that depression has
biological roots and may be an immune system response to certain
physiological cues."

Women who are depressed are also more likely to lose weight. With a
reduced sense of smell, they are less likely to have a healthy
appetite, he says.

Prof. Shoenfeld draws his conclusions from lifetime research on
autoimmune diseases, focusing on conditions such as lupus, arthritis
and rheumatism.

More Than a Feeling

Affecting about 1.5 million Americans, depression accompanying lupus,
Prof. Shoenfeld has found, is much more than an emotional reaction to
being ill. It appears to have a biological cause.

In lupus patients and those with other autoimmune diseases, a particle
known as an "autoantibody" attacks the person's own immune system,
appearing in the human body as an aberrant reaction to autoimmune
diseases. This particle "is a real novelty," says Prof. Shoenfeld. "We
have found that, when generated, it weakens a person's sense of smell
and can induce the feeling of depression."

Scientists today widely accept the fact that people with Alzheimer's
disease lose their sense of smell. Prof. Shoenfeld's research is the
first that links depression to smell in lupus patients, however.

The implications are wide and can be applied to the general
population, says Prof. Shoenfeld. "People who are depressed seem to
respond well to aromatherapy. Certain smells seem to help them
overcome the effects of the biological factors, suggesting that
depression may have a biological cause."

This research also raises questions about the cause of psychotic
disorders such as schizophrenia.  "There may be an organic cause to
these disorders, and if this is the case, clinicians might have to
change their attitude about current therapies they use," Prof.
Shoenfeld says. "I think that science is able to show that
aromatherapy might not be just for quacks. After all, some of these
remedies have been used since the time of the Egyptians to treat
organic diseases."

Prof. Shoenfeld also suggests that a standardized "smell test" could
be used by doctors to help diagnose depression as well as autoimmune
diseases.

Retail Therapy and Aromatherapy

He adds that the association between one's sense of smell and
depression has interesting implications for "smell marketing," used by
retailers to encourage shoppers to buy, especially around holiday
time. "These tactics are already being used by retailers and banks all
over the world," says Prof. Shoenfeld.

"The retail industry has learned that if it splashes good smells
around, it can convince clients to buy more and invest more money. It
certainly has an effect on one's mood."

Prof. Shoenfeld is an internationally recognized expert in autoimmune
diseases and a medical doctor. He is the head of the Department of
Medicine "B" at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel and edits four
medical journals, including Harefua (in Hebrew), The Journal of
Autoimmunity, Autoimmunity Reviews and the Israel Medical Association
Journal. Work on this recent study was done in close collaboration
with Prof. Joab Chapman, the head of the Neurology Department at Sheba
Medical Center, and a professor at Tel Aviv University.

 Click here to go directly to the
Tel Aviv University website
www.tau.ac.il

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Tom

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