USA Today: Up the nose, into the brain?
UC ear, nose and throat specialist examines link between COVID-19 smell loss, depression
Ahmad Sedaghat, MD, PhD, associate professor in the UC College of Medicine and UC Health physician, spoke with journalist Terry DeMio about a correlation between the loss of smell and taste and depression in COVID-19 patients.
The real question is why do you feel depressed when you have COVID-19 with smell loss? The answer could be that the disease caused by the novel coronavirus might be attacking your brain. Research from Dr. Sedaghat, an internationally recognized expert in rhinology indicates that COVID-19 may not only be knocking out the sense of smell for some but also using the olfactory tract as a way to get into the brain.
And once in the central nervous system, the illness might be causing the depression and anxiety that those with smell loss exhibit. No one will know that for sure until more research is done.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction, Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, read more #UCtheGood content, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.
Related Stories
UC hematology researcher to study bone complications in sickle cell disease
September 25, 2026
University of Cincinnati hematology researcher Jahnavi Gollamudi, MD, has received new grant funding to study how inflammation predicts bone complications in people with sickle cell disease, offering new hope for treatment.
UC partners join communitywide effort to improve outcomes for children and families
September 24, 2026
WLWT Channel 5 covered a signing agreement ceremony for the newly formed Hamilton County Child & Family Systems Partner Collaborative dedicated to working more efficiently together to reduce barriers for families, connect them with support early on and improve delivery of services. UC Corrections Institute and the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law are among the organizations part of the collaborative.
More young adults are having strokes than three decades ago
September 23, 2026
A University of Cincinnati-led study published in the journal Neurology found that strokes among adults ages 20 to 54 nearly doubled over almost three decades, even as short-term survival after stroke improved.