>> AND PARIS BACK TO YOU.
>> THANKS.
OVER A YEAR INTO THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC AND STILL SO MANY
UNKNOWNS ABOUT THE VIRUS.
AMONG THESE THE MYSTERY SYMPTOM
OF LOSING THE SENSES OF SMELL
AND TASTE.
AND JOINING US TO DISCUSS HIS
RESEARCH FINDINGS ON HOW THE
VIRUS IS AFFECTING THOSE THINGS
IS Dr. SANDEEP ROBERT DATTA
PROFESSORS OF NEUROBIOLOGY AT
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU LED A TEAM THAT RESEARCHED
WHY THESE SYMPTOMS PERSIST IN SO
MANY COVID-19 PATIENTS.
WHAT DID YOU FIND.
>> WE WERE REALLY CURIOUS LIKE
MANY PEOPLE HOW IT IS THAT THIS
VIRUS ATTACKS YOUR SENSE OF
SMELL AND YOUR SENSE OF TASTE.
AND SO TOGETHER WITH A LARGE
TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL
COLLABORATORS WE KIND OF PROBED
THE CELLS IN YOUR NOSE THAT ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR ALLOWING YOU TO
SMELL AND THROUGH OUR RESEARCH
WE WERE ABLE TO PROPOSE ONE
POSSIBLE WAY THAT WE THINK THIS
VIRUS IS CAUSING MANY OF THE
PEOPLE WHO GET INFECTED WITH THE
VIRUS TO LOSE THEIR SENSE OF
SMELL.
>> FOR THE LAY PERSON EXPLAIN
WHAT THAT ONE POSSIBLE WAY IS.
>> SMELL ODORS ARE TENTACLES
THAT THE ARE FLOATING THROUGH
THE AIR AND WHEN YOU TAKE A
SNIFF INTO YOUR NOSE YOU INHALE
THESE CHEMICALS INTO YOUR NOSE
AND THEY TRAVEL TO THE BACK OF
YOUR NOSE WITH A SPECIALIZED
TISSUE CALLED THE OBVIOUSLY
FACTORY EPITHELIUM.
IT HAS CELLS WITHIN IT AND THE
IMPORTANT CELL IS CALLED A
NEURON.
AND YOUR NEURON LIKE THE NEURONS
IN YOUR [INAUDIBLE]
BUT THEY DON'T LIVE IN YOUR
BRAIN THEY LIVE INSIDE OF YOUR
NOSE AND THEY HAVE SENSORS THAT
INTERACT WITH CHEMICALS ARE YOU
BREATHING IN AND WHEN THESE
NEURONS INTERACT WITH ODORS THEY
SEND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS TO YOUR
BRAIN THAT TELLS YOUR BRAIN WHAT
IT IS YOU'RE SMELLING.
NOW, THESE NEURONS ARE FRAGILE.
AND THEY ARE SURROUNDED BY CELLS
CALLED SUPPORT CELLS THAT
BASICALLY PHYSICALLY SUPPORT
THESE NEURONS AND HELP THEM
STAND UP.
THEY OFFER THE NEURONS ENERGY.
THEY MAKE SURE THE ION BALANCE
IS PERFECT.
AND THE SUPPORT CELLS ARE
ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR SENSE OF
SMELL.
AND WHAT WE PROPOSED IN OUR
RESEARCH IS THAT THE VIRUS IS
LIKELY TO ACT CAUSING YOU TO
LOSE YOUR SENSE OF SMELL BY
PRIMARILY INFECTING THESE
SUPPORT CELLS.
AND IN WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE
SINCE THE TIME MY LAB GOT INTO
THIS PROBLEM, FROM HUMAN
PATIENTS IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT
THIS VIRUS ATTACKS THE SUPPORT
CELLS IN YOUR NOSE AND DOING SO
CAUSES MOST PATIENTS THAT HAVE
COVID TO HAVE SOME DEGREE OF
SMELL LOSS.
>> AND MOST PATIENTS RECOVER
THAT SMELL AND TASTE LOSS BUT
SOME ARE EXPERIENCED THIS FOR A
YEAR.
HAS YOUR RESEARCH DISCOVERED
ANYTHING INTO THOSE CASES?
>> AGAIN AS WITH EVERYTHING IN
THIS PANDEMIC WE ARE LEARNING AS
WE GO.
WE THINK THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF
PATIENT.
AND THE FIRST AGAIN THEY GET
INFECTED AND THE CELLS GET
INFECTED AND THAT TEMPORARILY
SHUTS DOWN YOUR SENSE OF SMELL
AND WHEN YOU CLEAR THE VIRUS AND
THE INFORMATION GOES AWAY THE
CELLS GET BETTER AND THEN YOU
CAN SMELL AGAIN.
BUT IN SOME PATIENTS WE THINK
THAT THE FACT THAT THE SUPPORT
CELLS GETS INFECTED CAUSES
DAMAGE TO THE AND CAUSE SOME OF
THE NEURONS IN YOUR NOSE TO DIE.
AND ONE OF THE SPECIAL THINGS
ABOUT THE EPITHELIUM IS THAT THE
NEURONS INSIDE CAN REGENERATE
AND REGROW AND REWIRE INTO YOUR
BRAIN.
BUT THAT TAKES TIME.
AND SO WE THINK THAT IS IN SOME
PATIENTS THEY GET INFECTED WITH
THE VIRUS AND THEY LOSE THE
NEURONS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR
SENSE OF CHEMICAL AND THOSE HAVE
TO BE REBUILT AND THAT CAN OFTEN
TAKE MONTHS AND SOME CASES WE
KNOW NOW IT CAN TAKE MORE THAN A
YEAR.
>> THEY NEED TO BE REBUILT, DO
PATIENTS ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO
WORK TO DO THAT?
AND I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE I'M
SURE YOU ARE AWARE ESTEEMED
HARVARD NEUROBIOLOGIST OF THIS
VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA OF PUTTING
AN ORANGE ON THE BURNER AND
BURNING IT AND THEN PUTTING
BROWN SUGAR ON IT AND POOF
PROBLEM SOLVED.
ANY MERIT TO THIS?
AND IF NOT IS THERE A WAY TO
REBUILD THOSE NEURONS FOR
PATIENTS EXPERIENCING THESE
SYMPTOMS.
>> I WAS EXCITED WHEN I SAW THAT
VIDEO IT CIRCULATED AROUND MY
COLLEAGUES.
UNFORTUNATELY AS FAR AS I KNOW
THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
THAT YOU CAN GAIN YOUR SENSE OF
SMELL BY SMELLING A BURNT
ORANGE.
THERE IS EVIDENCE FOR SMELL
THERAPY WHERE YOU GET COMMON
SMELLS THAT ARE STRONG,
PEPPERMINT OIL OR CLOVES AND A
COUPLE TIMES A DAY YOU SMELL
THEM AND TELL YOURSELF WHAT THEY
ARE AND IT'S THOUGHT THROUGH
MECHANISMS WE DON'T YOU HAD THAT
THIS EXPERIENCE WITH FAMILIAR
SMELLS REPEATEDLY MIGHT IMPROVE
THE RATE AT WHICH YOU RECOVER
AND THERE IS CLINICAL EVIDENCE
ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT STRONG THERE
IS SOME EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS
THAT AS A STRATEGY TO HELP
PEOPLE WITH LONG-TERM LOSS OF
SENSE OF SMALL PERHAPS RECOVER
MORE QUICKLY.
>> Dr. SANDEEP ROBERT DATTA
INTERESTING RESEARCH.