title: Olfactory brain gray matter volume reduction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory condition and a major cause of olfactory loss. Olfactory dysfunction has been associated with reduced olfactory bulb (OB) volume and gray matter (GM) density in the olfactory-related brain areas. The aim of this study was to investigate brain GM structural and OB volume alterations in patients with CRS.
  
  
  
  Structural brain images were collected from 21 CRS patients and 31 healthy controls on a 3-T scanner. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was performed to investigate GM. Olfactory bulb volumes were measured using AMIRA software. Psychophysical olfactory testing for odor threshold (T) and identification (I) was performed using the Sniffin' Sticks battery.
  
  
  
  CRS patients had significantly lower scores for Sniffin' Sticks olfactory tests than controls (p < 0.001 for T, I, and combined T and I [TI] scores). Region-of-interest analyses revealed no difference in GM volume between CRS patients and healthy controls; however, in CRS patients with severe olfactory dysfunction, GM reduction was observed in the gyrus rectus, orbitofrontal cortex, thalamus, and the insula. In addition, no difference was observed for OB volume in CRS patients compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  
  In this study we identified a reduction in gray matter in olfactory brain regions in CRS patients with severe olfactory dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.|Department of Neuropediatrics, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.|UCL Ear Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Whitcroft
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerber
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cuevas
authors.affiliation: UCL Ear Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hummel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D066194:Olfactory Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: chronic rhinosinusitis; gray matter; imaging; olfactory bulb; olfactory disorders; voxel-based morphometry