Fantosmia: a curious hallucination

Once we write about the sense of smell , so associated with the sense of taste. Now let's talk about an unusual disorder: olfactory hallucinations.

Curious name
Do you know what this disturbance of the senses is called? A name that at first sight does not seem to be related to smell or nose: fantosmia . This is called this olfactory alteration, and that is that those who suffer from it can perceive smells, aromas, which are not present or are not real .

If you're continually smelling perfume of roses or some other pleasant smell, suffering from ptosis might not be so serious, right? But, what if what you perceive were foul, unpleasant and putrid odors? Pleasant or not, the fantosmia can turn into olfactory delusions if you always smell things that do not exist.
There are also alterations of smell that have to do with erroneous interpretations of real perceptions, that is, that you smell something that is but in a "wrong" way. In this case they are called dysosmia or parosmia .

There is a variation of the parosmia that is called "physiological parosmia", and it is that in which we interpret the odors according to our state of mind : if we are hungry, if we are full, if we feel anxious about lack of sex , if we have consumed a lot alcohol , and in this sense, the origin being subjective, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate it from fantosmia.

Possible causes
In general they can be caused by organic syndromes or by toxic agents .

Among the toxic agents, alcohol is named as the main cause of delirium tremens , where odors can sometimes be perceived that do not exist except in the head of the alcoholic.

Among the organics are several diseases, as well as certain neurological processes . Do you dare to delve a little into these cerebral abysses?

Seizures of the temporal lobe
They are a type of epilepsy that affects this region of the brain. Just before a seizure, the person feels extreme emotions, such as ecstasy or fear, but they generally lose all temporal and spatial notion. Many times they do not even realize that their temporal lobe has convulsed. Phanthosmy is usually a symptom, and when a seizure of this type occurs, the olfactory hallucination is called "aura" and indicates that an attack is about to occur.

Brain injuries
There are times when the inflammations of the brain press against the skull, and certain sensory parts are damaged, producing phantosmia.

Alzheimer's
Auditory and visual hallucinations are more common, but there have been cases in which these patients also suffer from phobias, and the smells become so real that they can not be convinced that they do not exist. Many times they smell like flowers or chocolate.

Migraines
The cases are very rare, but they have been registered. They are usually unpleasant odors, and cases have been reported in which the patient smells like boiled chicken or toast with butter. As with seizures, in migraines the ptostosemia appears as a warning of their arrival.

There are physical cases too, such as sinusitis , which can cause some olfactory hallucinations. But after treated and cured, the smells disappear.
Smell is certainly important, even as a reference for memory