Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients
A new pandemic was declared at the end of 2019 because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). One of the effects of COVID-19 infection is anosmia (i.e., a loss of smell). Unfortunately, this olfactory dysfunction is persistent in around 5% of the world’s population, and there is not an effective tr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-06-01
|
| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/13/5880 |
| _version_ | 1797590880614350848 |
|---|---|
| author | Desirée I. Gracia Mario Ortiz Tatiana Candela Eduardo Iáñez Rosa M. Sánchez Carmina Díaz José M. Azorín |
| author_facet | Desirée I. Gracia Mario Ortiz Tatiana Candela Eduardo Iáñez Rosa M. Sánchez Carmina Díaz José M. Azorín |
| author_sort | Desirée I. Gracia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A new pandemic was declared at the end of 2019 because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). One of the effects of COVID-19 infection is anosmia (i.e., a loss of smell). Unfortunately, this olfactory dysfunction is persistent in around 5% of the world’s population, and there is not an effective treatment for it yet. The aim of this paper is to describe a potential non-invasive neurostimulation strategy for treating persistent anosmia in post-COVID-19 patients. In order to design the neurostimulation strategy, 25 subjects who experienced anosmia due to COVID-19 infection underwent an olfactory assessment while their electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were recorded. These signals were used to investigate the activation of brain regions during the olfactory process and identify which regions would be suitable for neurostimulation. Afterwards, 15 subjects participated in the evaluation of the neurostimulation strategy, which was based on applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in selected brain regions related to olfactory function. The results showed that subjects with lower scores in the olfactory assessment obtained greater improvement than the other subjects. Thus, tDCS could be a promising option for people who have not fully regained their sense of smell following COVID-19 infection. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:29:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d647bf1982384bbcab27301f6c7c8a25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:29:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-d647bf1982384bbcab27301f6c7c8a252023-11-18T17:28:07ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202023-06-012313588010.3390/s23135880Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 PatientsDesirée I. Gracia0Mario Ortiz1Tatiana Candela2Eduardo Iáñez3Rosa M. Sánchez4Carmina Díaz5José M. Azorín6Brain-Machine Interface Systems Lab, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, SpainBrain-Machine Interface Systems Lab, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, SpainBrain-Machine Interface Systems Lab, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, SpainBrain-Machine Interface Systems Lab, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis de Alicante, 03010 Alicante, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis de Alicante, 03010 Alicante, SpainBrain-Machine Interface Systems Lab, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, SpainA new pandemic was declared at the end of 2019 because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). One of the effects of COVID-19 infection is anosmia (i.e., a loss of smell). Unfortunately, this olfactory dysfunction is persistent in around 5% of the world’s population, and there is not an effective treatment for it yet. The aim of this paper is to describe a potential non-invasive neurostimulation strategy for treating persistent anosmia in post-COVID-19 patients. In order to design the neurostimulation strategy, 25 subjects who experienced anosmia due to COVID-19 infection underwent an olfactory assessment while their electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were recorded. These signals were used to investigate the activation of brain regions during the olfactory process and identify which regions would be suitable for neurostimulation. Afterwards, 15 subjects participated in the evaluation of the neurostimulation strategy, which was based on applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in selected brain regions related to olfactory function. The results showed that subjects with lower scores in the olfactory assessment obtained greater improvement than the other subjects. Thus, tDCS could be a promising option for people who have not fully regained their sense of smell following COVID-19 infection.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/13/5880anosmiaCOVID-19neurostimulationelectroencephalography |
| spellingShingle | Desirée I. Gracia Mario Ortiz Tatiana Candela Eduardo Iáñez Rosa M. Sánchez Carmina Díaz José M. Azorín Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients Sensors anosmia COVID-19 neurostimulation electroencephalography |
| title | Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients |
| title_full | Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients |
| title_fullStr | Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients |
| title_short | Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients |
| title_sort | design and evaluation of a potential non invasive neurostimulation strategy for treating persistent anosmia in post covid 19 patients |
| topic | anosmia COVID-19 neurostimulation electroencephalography |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/13/5880 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT desireeigracia designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients AT marioortiz designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients AT tatianacandela designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients AT eduardoianez designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients AT rosamsanchez designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients AT carminadiaz designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients AT josemazorin designandevaluationofapotentialnoninvasiveneurostimulationstrategyfortreatingpersistentanosmiainpostcovid19patients |