Are you too invol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adrily thin\u00adking of a specific place or person when you smell a certain scent? Memory and smell are linked in ways we don\u2019t yet fully understand.<\/p>\n
Now, a new study suggests that smells during sleep may posi\u00adtively affect some aspects of cogni\u00adtive func\u00adtion and circuitry important for memory and cognition.<\/p>\n
In the U.S. study, elderly adults were \u201cscented\u201d with diffe\u00adrent essen\u00adtial oils for 2 hours each night for six months \u2014 causing a statis\u00adti\u00adcally signi\u00adfi\u00adcant impro\u00adve\u00adment in memory perfor\u00admance. The Rey Audi\u00adtory Verbal Lear\u00adning Test attested a statis\u00adti\u00adcally signi\u00adfi\u00adcant impro\u00adve\u00adment of 226% compared to the control group. Func\u00adtional magnetic reso\u00adnance imaging (fMRI) studies showed improved func\u00adtion of the left unci\u00adnate fasci\u00adculus, an area of the brain asso\u00adciated with memory and cogni\u00adtion whose func\u00adtion normally declines with age.<\/p>\n
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Impro\u00adving our memory perfor\u00admance through such simple measures as aroma\u00adthe\u00adrapy while we sleep seems an enti\u00adcing pros\u00adpect. But please be careful when trying it yourself: espe\u00adci\u00adally for asth\u00adma\u00adtics, infants and small children, the actually bene\u00adfi\u00adcial scents can be irri\u00adta\u00adting. And some fumes are not suitable for dogs and cats either.<\/p>\n