At the end of January 2025, Dr Cassandre Djian from AP-HP Lariboisière in collaboration with Professor Lledo from the Pasteur Institute, revealed to us in preview the results of the study of the phenomenon of persistent anosmia caused by coronavirus, After more than three years of collaboration between the two institutions, supported by the Per Fumum Endowment Fund.
Entitled ETOC, the Study of Olfactory and Cognitive Disorders, it was thus possible to collect and characterize patients’ “olfactory neural signatures” through the measurement of evoked olfactory potentials (OEP), a method still unknown in France due to its technicality.
This fundamental and clinical research now provides a diagnostic framework that will allow practitioners to offer tailored olfactory rehabilitation for anosmic patients.
The research does not stop there and again, The Per Fumum Endowment Fund supports Professor Lledo in a new approach that probes, this time, the state of consciousness via the sense of smell of neurolesized patients.
Accompanied by physicist Jean-Baptiste Masson, the project of olfactory stimulation of patients in coma explores the links between olfaction and consciousness using olfactive stimulations to probe the state of consciousness of neurologically injured patients.
Both of them answered our questions.
Meet Jean-Baptiste Masson, Physicist, and Pierre-Marie Lledo, Neuroscientist at the Pasteur Institute
The project on olfactory stimulation for coma patients explores the links between the sense of smell and consciousness by using olfactory stimuli to assess the state of consciousness in patients with neurological injuries.
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: What are the main goals of your olfactory stimulation project for coma patients?
Pierre-Marie Lledo:
“Quite simply, we aim to leverage a unique feature of human sensory organization: olfaction is directly connected to the limbic structures, which trigger responses beyond conscious control or will. Unlike other sensory modalities that pass through a ‘sorting station,’ the thalamus, the sense of smell directly accesses emotional structures. For instance, before identifying a wine, we instinctively know whether we like it or not. This specificity led us to explore olfaction, alongside hearing, to analyze patients’ brain reactivity through different sensory pathways.”
Jean-Baptiste Masson:
“As a physicist, we aim to use this specificity to scientifically ‘disturb’ the patients, meaning generating measurable and natural signals that alter their brain characteristics. Through these disturbances, we hope to extract valuable information about their brain state using electroencephalograms (EEG).”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: How can olfactory stimulation help assess the state of consciousness in brain-injured individuals?
Pierre-Marie Lledo:
“We combine exposure to odors with EEG measurements to observe patients’ reactivity, including those on artificial ventilation. By measuring brain dynamics before and after odor exposure, we aim to determine whether a patient is on a recovery trajectory. Continuous monitoring will help us understand which variations indicate rehabilitation potential.”
Jean-Baptiste Masson:
“We use a protocol integrating external and clinical data to identify signatures indicating likely recovery paths. The goal is to work probabilistically to evaluate whether an individual is moving in a favorable direction in their recovery.”
To read the full interview and learn more about this ambitious project, click here.
Discover the Latest Héritage(s) Testimonials
The Per Fumum Endowment Fund is delighted to present new testimonials enriching the Héritage(s) project. This month, you can explore the remarkable stories of Françoise Marin, Jean-Pierre Béthouart, Raymond Chaillan, and Sophie Rouët-Courtière. Short versions are available in short version on our website, or in full on request.
These invaluable contributions preserve the living memory of iconic figures in perfumery, fostering the transmission and appreciation of the intangible heritage of French perfumery.
To discover them, visit the Héritage(s) page: here.
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