Forget the smell of lovers, watch out for memory loss!

If one day you feel strange when smelling the right perfume that once ecstatic when you kiss your lover for the first time, it may be an early sign of dementia, according to new Canadian research.

Neuroscientists at the University of Toronto (Canada) have identified a mechanism that allows the brain to recreate vivid sensory experiences from memory, thereby proving the "odor memory" loss could be an early sign of Alzheimer's dementia.

Afif Aqrabawi, one of the authors, said there is a strong connection between memory and smell and this connection is made by evolution. This mechanism creates a "smell memory" , which makes it possible to smell the sweet apple pie of grandmother when entering the old kitchen, or inculcate the lover's perfume when she first kissed her. .

There is a strong connection between human memory and smell - (illustration: Internet).

They also found a mysterious area in the human brain called the "olfactory nucleus" (AON) . The AON region is where scent data is integrated with information about time and space and is the residence of "odor memory".

This AON region has a close connection with the hippocampus (hippocampus) , a structure within the temporal lobe, responsible for storing information, forming memories and coordinating the ability to navigate in time. The health of the hipppcampus region as well as its connection to the rest of the brain plays a crucial role in fighting dementia.

In the mouse experiment, those who still existed with hippocampus connections - AON easily found its way back to the familiar place when the space-time memories - scent pulling together recurred. Meanwhile, disconnected mice find it hard to find old places and become confused even when placed in a familiar place.

In humans, this disconnection is reflected by the smell of a familiar scent and no longer finding it familiar. And because AON is one of the earliest locations attacked by dementia such as Alzheimer's, the loss of this odor memory may be the standard for early diagnosis of dementia.

The research has just been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.