Memory Retrieval Through Scent: Assessing Olfactory Cues as a Therapeutic Tool
Advisor: Dr. James
Internship Location: Hunter College, City University of New York (In-Person and Remote)
Onsite Mentor: Dr. Masayo Omura, PhD
The relationship between olfaction and memory is uniquely powerful due to the direct neurological connection between the olfactory system and the brain structures responsible for emotion and memory, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus. Because odor signals bypass the thalamus and travel directly to these regions, smells can evoke autobiographical memories that are often more vivid, emotional, and rapidly retrieved than those triggered by other sensory cues. This research investigates whether this strong smell–memory connection can be intentionally utilized as a therapeutic tool to support cognitive recall in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Through a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature in neuroscience, psychology, and clinical research, this study will examine how olfactory cues influence autobiographical memory retrieval. Particular attention is given to studies demonstrating that odor-evoked memories in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease are often more specific and retrieved more quickly than memories prompted without sensory cues. By synthesizing these findings alongside current therapeutic approaches such as pharmacological treatments and reminiscence therapies, the research evaluates the potential for structured olfactory stimulation to complement existing interventions. Intentionally pairing familiar or personalized scents with experiences, or reintroducing meaningful odors during therapy, may provide a noninvasive and accessible method for strengthening memory recall, supporting emotional well-being, and helping preserve a patient’s sense of identity. Overall, this research highlights the potential of olfactory cues as an underutilized but promising component of evidence-based therapeutic practices for individuals experiencing cognitive decline.
Project Blog
Week 0: Introduction
Hello everyone! My name is Mia Chonko, and I have been a student at BASIS Independent Brooklyn since 5th grade. This week, I have officially begun working on my senior project. I aim to explore the link between smell and memory, and whether the smell–memory connection can be used in more structured, evidence-based ways to improve emotional well-being and cognitive support.
I’ve always noticed how certain smells seemed to instantly transport me back to specific moments in my life, even those that I thought I had long forgotten. The scent of roses brings me back to my grandmother’s flower garden, where eight-year-old me helped her plant them. These memories tend to appear suddenly and vividly, often more powerfully than when I try to recall them by looking at pictures depicting the same events. Through my AP Psychology class, I learned that olfaction is directly linked to the limbic system (the group of brain structures involved in emotion and memory). Unlike the other senses, smell bypasses the thalamus (the brain’s sensory relay center that normally processes and directs incoming sensory information) and travels directly to the amygdala (the region responsible for processing emotions, especially fear and emotional responses) and the hippocampus (the structure that helps form and store long-term memories), helping commit scent-associated experiences to long-term memory. This led me to wonder whether the connection between smell and memory could be used intentionally as a tool to support cognitive recall. Scents are easily accessible, inexpensive, and deeply personal, making them especially appealing. By focusing on the intentional, evidence-based use of olfactory cues, my project aims to explore whether scent could serve as a gentle, noninvasive way to help people recall memories, manage emotions, and feel grounded, an approach that may be useful not only for individuals experiencing stress but also for caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers. I am also excited to work with my off-site mentor Dr. Masayo Omura. She is an expert in olfaction research with over 20 years of experience and is currently a senior research director and an adjunct assistant professor in the Biology department at Hunter College, one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York. Her research and current work in the field of olfaction will be valuable to my own research, and her guidance on future steps for approaching this project will be very helpful.
To complete this project, I will primarily focus on peer-reviewed academic literature from reputable databases, such as the National Library of Medicine and PubMed, as well as university-affiliated journals. This will include studies in neuroscience, psychology, and clinical research that examine the relationship between smell, memory, and therapeutic interventions, particularly in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to written sources, I will conduct interviews with experts currently working in psychology and neuroscience to gain insight into real-world applications, ethical considerations, and ongoing research that may not yet be fully represented in published literature. My final product will be an academic research paper that will synthesize existing findings through critical analysis and will include my proposed outline of an evidence-backed approach to therapy that could be potentially used.
I am really excited to begin this project and I am really looking forward to working with my mentors and sharing my findings with everyone. Here is a link to my proposal if you want to know more!
Week 1
Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog!
This week, I had a meeting with Dr. Omura to discuss more about my project and refine my ideas moving forward. We also talked about the possibility of conducting interviews and she will help me find experts in related fields, such as neuroscience and psychiatrists, for my project. I was also able to get her feedback on my proposal during the meeting, which helped make me feel more confident about moving forward with my research. She also made sure to remind me that sometimes while doing research, I may begin finding more and more on my topic that might distract me from the main points related to my topic so she warned me to be careful and be mindful to stay on track.
She also gave me pointers on how to approach reading academic sources more effectively, especially when it comes to identifying key information and evaluating their results. It helped me save a lot of time when reading through all of my sources to keep my time spent reading productive and I gained the most out of each one. This week, I read and analyzed this paper titled Olfactory Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease (Audronyte et al., 2023). The authors of this paper aimed to investigate olfactory memory and its relationship with verbal memory and other clinical features in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The findings indicated that olfactory memory is impaired in patients with AD and this deficit progresses over the course of the disease but is not significantly impaired in the prodromal stage of AD.
Overall, I really enjoyed meeting and being able to discuss this project more with Dr. Omura. This has made me feel more confident and also excited about the direction of my project and to explore this topic more.
Works cited:
Audronyte E, Sutnikiene V, Pakulaite-Kazliene G, Kaubrys G. Olfactory memory in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Front Neurol. 2023 Jun 2;14:1165594. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1165594. PMID: 37332995; PMCID: PMC10272592.
Week 2
Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog!
This week, I got more in depth with my research. I read Effects of Olfactory Stimulation on Autobiographical Memory in Alzheimer’s Disease by Glachet et al. (2018). It examines whether smells can improve memory recall in people with Alzheimer's disease. Since odors are strongly linked to memory and emotion in the brain, researchers tested if they could help compensate for memory deficits. Alzheimer’s patients and healthy older adults were asked to recall personal memories with and without odor cues. Results showed that, for Alzheimer’s patients, smells improved memory specificity, detail, emotional reliving, and retrieval speed. Healthy adults only recalled memories faster, with no major improvement in quality. The findings suggest that olfactory stimulation can enhance memory in Alzheimer’s patients, likely by activating brain regions tied to memory and emotion. This has clinical potential, as using scents in therapy could support memory, identity, and emotional well-being in care settings.
This article proves useful to my project because these results have important clinical implications, suggesting that incorporating smells into reminiscence therapy could be a simple and non-invasive way to support individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
As you might recall in my week 0 post and in my methodology, I am interested in interviewing neurologists and psychiatrists. So, this week I began drafting interview questions and with the help of Dr. Omura, also looking up people recommended to me by Dr. Omura and through Linkedin I could potentially interview.
Next week, I aim to finish my interview questions and have them reviewed by Dr. Omura at our next meeting.
Works Cited:
Glachet, O., Gandolphe, M. C., Gallouj, K., Antoine, P., & El Haj, M. (2018). Effects of olfactory stimulation on autobiographical memory in Alzheimer's disease. Les effets de la stimulation olfactive sur la mémoire autobiographique dans la maladie d’Alzheimer. Geriatrie et psychologie neuropsychiatrie du vieillissement, 16(3), 311–320. https://doi.org/10.1684/pnv.2018.0748
Week 3
Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog!
Last week, I had another productive meeting with my mentor, Dr. Omura. We talked more about the possibilities of interviews and potential contacts. I also reviewed my interview questions and sent them to her for further review. Some questions I plan to ask include “beyond Alzheimer’s disease, what other patient populations might benefit from this type of research in the future?” and “What challenges would need to be addressed before olfactory therapy could be widely adopted in clinical practice?”
This week I read a few more sources to supplement my research for my senior project, and I came across the study “From Nose to Memory: The Involuntary Nature of Odor-evoked Autobiographical Memories in Alzheimer’s Disease” by El Haj et. al (2017) which examines how smells can automatically trigger personal memories in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Unlike voluntary recall, which is often impaired in Alzheimer’s patients, odor-evoked memories arise spontaneously without conscious effort. The researchers found that these memories tend to be more vivid, emotional, and detailed, suggesting that olfactory cues can access memory pathways that remain relatively preserved despite the disease. These findings highlight the unique connection between the olfactory system and brain regions involved in memory and emotion, allowing smells to bypass some cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer’s. As a result, odor-evoked memories may provide a valuable tool for improving memory access and emotional experiences in patients, especially for those who may find difficulties in recollection. This research supports the idea that incorporating smell-based cues into therapeutic practices could enhance well-being and help individuals reconnect with their personal past.
Works Cited
EL Haj, M., Gandolphe, M. C., Gallouj, K., Kapogiannis, D., & Antoine, P. (2017). From Nose to Memory: The Involuntary Nature of Odor-evoked Autobiographical Memories in Alzheimer’s Disease. Chemical Senses, 43(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjx064
Week 4
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I had another meeting with Dr. Omura, and she connected me with Dr. Ko Harada, a geriatric medicine specialist and fellow at Mount Sinai, who I may potentially interview. When I speak with him, I’m planning to take the interview questions I’ve already developed and tailor them more specifically to his field of expertise, geriatrics. This specialty focuses on the healthcare of older adults, typically those 65 and up, and involves managing complex, multiple chronic conditions as well as evaluating cognitive and memory-related concerns.
A lot of my questions are centered on the future directions of geriatric medicine, what areas I should focus on in my own research, and the current limitations within the field. I’m hoping to gain insight not just into the science, but also into the real-world challenges physicians face when treating aging populations.
I’m planning to conduct the interview after AP exams, once his schedule opens up. Most likely, we’ll have a short virtual meeting so we can speak face-to-face, and he’ll also provide written responses to my questions through a shared document.
In addition to that, I’ve been combing through hospital directories to identify more physicians I could potentially interview. This will help me gather a wider range of perspectives and give me more material to work with as I continue developing my research.
Thank you for reading my blog post. Next week I plan to lean more into some sources.
Week 5
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I began the week by organizing my research materials by grouping sources based on the specific topics, themes, and arguments they address. Rather than just collecting information, I focused on understanding how each source could contribute to different aspects of my paper. This process helped me identify patterns across sources, notice overlaps in ideas, and determine which materials would be most useful for supporting particular points. All of these studies connect by showing that olfactory function is both impaired in Alzheimer’s disease and useful as a tool for memory support. The studies demonstrate that olfactory stimulation can enhance memory retrieval in people with Alzheimer’s, improving detail, specificity, and the ability to recall contextual information. While also establishing that olfactory memory itself declines as the disease progresses, especially in later stages, which helps explain why the effectiveness of smell-based interventions may vary. This review brings my findings together, and helps me conclude that olfactory stimulation can be a beneficial, non-invasive intervention for people with dementia, but its success depends on the stage of the disease and the remaining integrity of the olfactory system.
As I continued refining this organization, my research became much clearer and more manageable. I was able to see connections between sources more easily and began thinking more critically about the outline of my paper and how I wanted to structure it. This step was especially helpful in narrowing down my focus and prioritizing the most relevant information. This already has me thinking and planning ahead about my body paragraphs in the paper.
After organizing my resources, I shifted to brainstorming ideas for my final research paper. I explored different angles and possible arguments, considering how I wanted to present my topic and what main points I wanted to emphasize. From there, I began developing a potential outline, experimenting with different structures to figure out the most effective way to organize my ideas.
Throughout this process, I focused on connecting my sources to my own thinking, and to my research question of how we can utilize the strong connection between smells and memory as a therapeutic tool in aiding elderly patients with Alzheimer's with their cognitive recall. This helped to make sure that my research would support a clear and cohesive argument and that I was staying focused on answering my question as well. Overall, this week allowed me to move beyond simply gathering information and toward actively shaping my paper, giving me a stronger sense of direction and a solid foundation for the writing process.
Week 6
Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog!
I began the week by revisiting and carefully refining the interview questions I had developed in earlier weeks, making sure they were clear, thoughtful, and aligned with the overall goals of my project and with my interviewee, Dr. Ko Harada. I focused on improving the wording to ensure the questions would encourage detailed and meaningful responses, while also organizing them in a logical sequence to create a natural flow during the interview. After finalizing this revised set of questions, I shared them with both my in-school mentor, Dr. James, and my out-of-school mentor, Dr. Omura, so they could review them and provide any additional feedback or suggestions for improvement. Some sample questions I plan to ask include:
What practical challenges would need to be addressed before olfactory therapy could be widely adopted in geriatric practice?
What changes or additions would you recommend to make this project more applicable and impactful for real-world geriatric patients and their caregivers?
At this point, I am in the process of coordinating a time for the interview, particularly with Dr. Omura and my interviewee, whose schedule has required some flexibility and ongoing communication. Although a specific date has not yet been confirmed, I anticipate that the interview will take place within the next few weeks. In the meantime, I am continuing to stay in contact and remain prepared so that once a time is finalized, I can move forward smoothly with conducting the interview.
I am also continuing my work on my final research paper draft. I am expanding and refining my outline by adding more detailed points, supporting evidence, and clearer transitions between sections. This process has helped me better organize my ideas and ensure that each part of the paper contributes meaningfully to my overall argument. In the coming weeks, I will begin to actually write the body paragraphs and incorporate my research.
Weeks 7-8
Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog!
Over the past two weeks, I have continued making progress on my research project and final paper. During the first week, I focused mainly on organizing my ideas and beginning the writing process for my final research paper. I started drafting several of my background paragraphs to build a strong foundation for the rest of the paper. In these sections, I explained what Alzheimer’s disease is, including how it affects the brain, memory, and behavior over time. I also researched and wrote about the relationship between smell and the neurological pathways involved in processing scents. Learning about how the olfactory system connects directly to parts of the brain associated with memory and emotion was especially interesting because it helps explain why changes in smell may be linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Writing these background sections helped me better understand my topic and prepared me to begin discussing more detailed research later in the paper.
During the second week, I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Omura and also interview Dr. Ko Hanada, a geriatric fellow at Mount Sinai. This experience was extremely valuable because it allowed me to hear directly from someone working in the medical field with older patients and neurodegenerative diseases. I prepared seven questions for Dr. Hanada, and he answered each one honestly, thoughtfully, and with a lot of insight. He discussed his experiences working with elderly patients, the challenges of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the importance of early detection and research. Hearing his perspective gave me a much deeper understanding of the real-world impact of Alzheimer’s disease beyond what I have read in academic articles. His responses provided important information and personal insight that I can include in both my final research paper and my presentation. I think incorporating expert opinions alongside scientific research will make my project stronger and more meaningful.
Week 9
Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog!
I began this week by completely focusing on my final research paper. Most of my time was spent continuing to draft and organize my body paragraphs so that my paper could flow more clearly and effectively. As I worked through my outline, I realized that some sections either included too much detail or did not explain my ideas thoroughly enough. Because of this, I spent additional time revising and editing my outline to improve the overall structure of the paper. I wanted to make sure that each paragraph connected smoothly to the next and that all of my ideas were clearly related back to my main research topic.
While editing, I focused on strengthening the transitions between topics and making my explanations more balanced. In some places, I noticed that I was overexplaining certain concepts, which made the paper feel repetitive, while in other sections I needed to provide more detail and evidence to support my points. This process helped me better understand how important organization and clarity are in research writing. I also worked on integrating information from my sources more naturally so that the evidence supports my arguments instead of simply summarizing the articles I read.
Next week, I plan on continuing my body paragraphs, incorporating more research evidence and interview insights, and beginning to work on my conclusion section. I also hope to start preparing more material for my final presentation so I can clearly explain both my research findings and the process behind my project.
Week 10
Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog!
This week, I continued to focus almost entirely on completing my final research paper while also beginning to think more seriously about my final presentation. Since both assignments are a major part of my project, I wanted to make sure I was managing my time effectively and staying organized as the deadline approaches.
One of the first things I did was review the rubrics for both the research paper and the presentation. Looking over the requirements helped me better understand what was expected and allowed me to identify any areas that still needed improvement. As I worked on my paper, I also started planning how I would transfer the information into a slideshow format. This required me to think differently about my research because a presentation needs to be concise and visually engaging, while a research paper can include much more detail and explanation.
I spent time deciding which information would be most important to highlight on each slide and how to organize my findings in a way that would be clear and easy for an audience to follow. Since my research focuses on the connection between olfaction and Alzheimer's disease, I began outlining slides that explain the biological basis of Alzheimer's, the neurological relationship between smell and memory, and the potential use of smell testing as an early detection tool. I also considered where to include information from my interview and how I could use visuals to help explain some of the more complex scientific concepts.
In addition to working on the presentation, I continued making progress on my research paper. I focused on revising sections, strengthening my explanations, and ensuring that my ideas flowed logically from one paragraph to the next. As I reviewed my work, I made adjustments to improve clarity and make stronger connections between my sources and my overall argument.
Overall, this week was dedicated to bringing both my paper and presentation together. While there is still some work left to do, I feel much more confident about the direction of my project and the progress I have made. My main goal for the upcoming week is to finish any remaining edits, finalize my slideshow, and continue preparing for my final presentation.
Week 11
Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog, and my final blog post!
This week marked the end of my Senior Project journey. After months of researching, writing, meeting with mentors, conducting interviews, and revising my work, I finally completed both my final research paper and presentation. It was exciting to see everything come together after spending so much time exploring the relationship between olfaction, memory, and Alzheimer's disease.
One of my main focuses this week was finalizing my presentation for the Shape Shifter Lab presentation day. I spent time reviewing my slides, editing content, and making sure that the information from my research paper was translated into a format that would be clear and engaging for an audience. One challenge I encountered was deciding how much information to include. Throughout this project, I had accumulated a large amount of research, but I needed to identify the most important findings and present them in a concise way while still communicating the significance of my work.
Looking back at earlier drafts, I realized how much my project evolved over time. When I first began, I expected to find strong evidence that olfactory cues could improve memory retrieval and cognitive function in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. However, as I reviewed the literature and interviewed experts, I found that the strongest evidence actually supported the use of olfactory stimulation for emotional regulation and improving quality of life. Learning to adjust my focus based on the evidence was one of the most valuable lessons I gained from this experience.
Presenting at Shape Shifter Lab was a rewarding way to conclude the project. It gave me the opportunity to share my findings with others and reflect on everything I had learned throughout the research process. Beyond the scientific content, this project taught me important skills such as time management, academic writing, source evaluation, professional communication, and presenting complex information to an audience. I also gained a greater appreciation for the realities of research, including the importance of remaining open-minded and allowing evidence to guide conclusions.
Overall, this project was an incredibly valuable experience. I am grateful to Dr. Omura, Dr. James, Dr. Hanada, and everyone who supported me throughout the process. Their guidance helped me develop not only a deeper understanding of Alzheimer's disease and olfaction, but also a greater appreciation for the research process itself. While this project may be ending, I hope the lessons I learned from it will continue to influence my future studies and career in medicine.