Volume alterations in the gray matter of anosmic subjects

Alterations in the central nervous system in patients with a loss of sense of smell are well documented for the olfactory bulb (OB). Here we present a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study on cerebral alterations in the gray matter of patients with anosmia above the OB. 3-Tesla MRI datasets were obtained from 17 patients with anosmia as well as from 17 normosmic controls. Data processing and evaluation was performed using the SPM5 software package (Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience Group, London, UK) and the implemented VBM5 toolbox. Patients with anosmia showed a significant volume decrease in the gray matter in the primary olfactory cortex as well as in secondary olfactory areas (insular cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and hippocampus). Furthermore, volume decreases in areas like the nucleus accumbens with adjacent subcallosal gyrus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were found. Longer disease duration was associated with more profound alterations in the gray matter. VBM is appropriate to document brain alterations in patients with olfactory disorders.