Depression is one of the most talked about mental disorders and scientists are still looking for better ways to treat it. We continuously learn about mental health and the most recent studies bring plenty of hope for people who suffer from depression.
According to a study published on February 13, a familiar scent might help people with depression recall specific memories and potentially improve their symptoms. Even people without depression can use familiar scents to channel memories and improve mood, experts say.
The study’s senior author, Kymberly Young, PhD, a neuroscience researcher and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center states that familiar odors could be one way to help these individuals suffering from depression improve their memory recall.
The findings also suggest that smells are more effective than words at bringing up a memory of a specific event, and could even be used in therapy to help depressed individuals get out of negative thought cycles and rewire thought patterns, according to the authors.
This may be the first study to use olfactory cues to trigger autobiographical memory retrieval in major depressive disorder, and the results are encouraging.
The Connection Between Depression and Memory
There is a significant amount of evidence indicating that depressed adults struggle to recall precise memories. This has been associated with poor problem-solving and a longer course of depressive illness.
The kind of memories investigated in this study are explicit memories, which is what people typically mean when they refer to “memory” in the everyday sense – specifically, episodic memory, or recalling discrete events in your life.
There are a few reasons why this type of memory is important. Recalling memories, whether positive or negative, can help us navigate the future more effectively.
Positive memories can improve our mood and help regulate emotions, while negative memories can serve as a learning tool, encouraging us to work harder and stay focused. For instance, remembering a past failure can motivate us to redouble our efforts or maintain better focus in the present.
There are also some cases where retrieval can be a problem, if we’re automatically recalling highly negative and intrusive memories.
Research has indicated that in individuals not experiencing depression, scents can provoke memories that feel particularly clear and vivid. This phenomenon is likely due to the way odors activate the amygdala via nerve pathways from the olfactory bulb.
The amygdala, often referred to as the “reptilian brain,” governs our responses to danger or stress and plays a role in directing attention and improving memory recall during significant events.
Building on this understanding, researchers sought to determine if engaging the amygdala might aid individuals with depression in accessing their memories more efficiently.
Word Cues vs. Scent Cues in Memory Recall
Researchers conducted a study to investigate the effect of word and odor cues on memory recall in individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The study included 32 participants aged between 18 and 55 years, all of whom were on a stable dose of antidepressant medication.
Participants were exposed to a series of strong familiar scents, including oranges, ground coffee, shoe polish, and Vicks VapoRub, while their eyes were closed. They were asked to recall specific memories in response to both word and odor cues. It was emphasized that the memories should be single events rather than general concepts.
Interestingly, the study found that participants with depression had a stronger memory recall when given odor cues compared to word cues. Memories evoked by odors were described as more vivid, immersive, and realistic.
Moreover, odor cues were more likely to trigger recollections of positive events, even though participants were not specifically directed to recall positive memories.
These findings suggest that the olfactory system may play a crucial role in memory recall, particularly in individuals with depression.
Could Olfactory Cues Be Used in Depression Treatment?
This new study is significant for its discovery that individuals with depression showed better memory retrieval when exposed to odor cues.
The researchers suggest that odors could be a more effective means to train or help depressed adults recall specific memories, as opposed to using words, which is the current practice in depression treatments.
Enhancing memory recall in depressed individuals could have numerous positive effects, including improved problem-solving abilities, better emotion regulation, and enhanced overall functioning. This finding opens the door to new possibilities in the treatment and management of depression.
While there are many myths about depression out there, this has been proven to be true and might be included in the treatment of this disorder in the future. However, further research is needed to fully explore and understand the potential therapeutic applications of odor cues in depression treatment.
How Do Specific Cues Trigger Memories?
Different cues like smells, sights, words, or music can trigger memories due to the complex way our brains store and retrieve information. When we experience an event, it activates various brain regions, and the pattern of this activation is stored in our memory.
When we recall a memory, a cue can help by re-instantiating part of this pattern of activation. This cue activates specific brain regions associated with the memory, setting off a cascade of activity until all the regions involved in encoding the memory are reactivated.
This process allows us to vividly recall the event or experience associated with the cue.
Can Certain Cents Improve Your Mood?
Absolutely. Taking time to appreciate smells and think of the memories they bring to mind could be a way to boost mood more generally.
However, it’s important to note that while these findings suggest a potential benefit of using smells to retrieve memories, negative memories could also be triggered by smells, which could be distressing for some individuals.
Researchers agree that people could use these findings to retrieve memories. Since many of the smells used in the study were everyday smells, it’s possible to tap into this in our day-to-day lives simply by being more mindful of what we’re smelling.
The key is to be mindful. Most of this retrieval is done when we’re on autopilot, but if a depressed adult (or anyone who wants to improve their memory) wanted to hone their memory retrieval ability, they could be more attentive to the cues in their environment, the memories those cues elicit, and whether or not those memories are specific.