Abstract
Olfaction research deeply renewed the knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in various psychopathological states and showed that olfactory deficits might constitute an onset or trait marker in psychiatry. However, while alcohol-dependence is the most wide spread psychiatric disorder and while olfaction might be involved in its development and maintenance, olfactory abilities have been little explored in this population. The central aim of this paper is thus to underline the usefulness of olfaction research in alcohol-dependence. After reviewing the few olfaction studies available, a research agenda will be proposed, identifying the major challenges for future research, and particularly: (1) the identification of the origin, extent and cerebral correlates of olfaction deficits; (2) the links between olfaction and emotional-cognitive deficits, and the use of olfaction to understand the pathomechanisms of alcohol-dependence; (3) the interactions between olfaction and other sensory modalities; (4) the use of olfaction to predict the appearance and intensity of cognitive impairments; (5) the impact of olfaction deficits on everyday life in alcohol-dependence.
Highlights
Alcohol-dependence represents a major concern for public health, annually leading to more than two million deaths worldwide (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011)
Recent findings have underlined the involvement of odor processing impairments in schizophrenia and their usefulness as an endophenotypic marker of vulnerability, which shows that olfaction studies constitute a promising research field to understand this pathology (Rupp, 2010)
Further exploring olfaction in alcohol-dependence could on the one hand enrich the knowledge concerning the behavioral and cerebral consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, and complement the current theoretical models of this pathology
Summary
Alcohol-dependence represents a major concern for public health, annually leading to more than two million deaths worldwide (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011). The excessive consumption of alcohol has deleterious physiological effects, notably on the central nervous system as alcohol-dependence is associated with cerebral impairments (see Bühler and Mann, 2011 for a review of more than 190 papers on brain correlates of alcohol-dependence) The consequences of these brain deficits on cognitive and emotional abilities have been widely described: alcohol-dependent individuals present impaired performance in attentional, executive, or memory abilities (Stavro et al, 2013), and in affective and interpersonal processing (Philippot et al, 1999; Maurage et al, 2012). The exclusive focus on two modalities led to the nearly total neglect of other senses, and olfaction This lack of data on olfactory abilities constitutes a major shortcoming for the understanding of alcohol-dependence, as odors might play a crucial role in the development and persistence of this addictive state. We will show how olfaction might deeply renew and improve the current knowledge about this pathology, at fundamental (e.g., by renewing the knowledge on the pathophysiological mechanisms involved) and clinical (e.g., by developing olfaction rehabilitation programs to improve quality of life) levels
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