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| Poster #Neural Pathways Potential methods for in vivo imaging of human olfactory tissue. |
| Eric H. Holbrook1,2, Hironobu Nishijima2,3, James E. Schwob2, Brian Lin2, Anastasia Yendiki4, Ting Gong4 1Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, United States 2Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States 3The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, --, Japan 4Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States |
Although advances in techniques for visualizing the olfactory pathways at a micro and macro level has progressed, challenges remain in imaging olfactory structures in vivo. This dearth of ability becomes even more apparent when considering evaluation of human olfactory disorders. The field requires methods for observing peripheral and central anatomy in conditions of olfactory loss that can be administered both repeatedly and in a safe manner to allow for monitoring of incremental changes without disruption. We present two techniques with the potential for dynamic monitoring of human olfactory changes: 1) using topically applied nasal compounds that rely on differential expression of epithelial based enzymes for fluorescent activation and labeling, and 2) through diffusion MRI based imaging of the peripheral and central olfactory pathways. A discussion will outline the limitations and challenges of these techniques and the need for further development. The importance for developing methods for visualizing and assessing changes in the olfactory pathway during olfactory loss as well as recovery will be stressed. |