On the Effect of Aromatherapy with Citrus Fragrance in the Therapy of Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

The effect of aromatherapy on the human central nervous system is a controversial issue in medical sciences. Here we present a hypothesis relating citrus fragrance aromatherapy with brain glucose homeostasis in Major Depressive Disorder. How to conciliate the correlation between depression and resistance to insulin with the fact that glucose transport to neurons is not made directly by insulin? We briefly discuss the mechanism of dynamical glucose balance in the brain, which includes lactate transport from astrocytes to neuronal mitochondria supporting ATP (and then cAMP) production. We hypothesize that odors like vanillin and citrus fragrances fool the brain's glucose level sensors, reducing the subjective feeling of "low energy". This hypothesis can help to explain the surprisingly positive results found in the treatment of depression with aromatherapy.

The Effect of Olfactory Inhalation on KPGA Golfers’ Putting Performance, Postural Stability and Heart Rate

“…Lavender inhalation was found to be effective for reducing anxiety [21], autonomic nervous system regulation [22], ensuring good quality of sleep [23], and to be negative for static postural stability [24]. Additionally, citrus inhalation has been reported to help with energy perception, positive feelings, and static postural stability, and has the same anti-anxiety effects as lavender inhalation [24][25][26][27].…”