A Randomized Controlled Trial of Anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (A-tDCS) and Olfactory Training in persistent COVID-19 anosmia

Vestito et al, 2025. Brain Stimulation.

• Persistent anosmia due to COVID-19 affects approximately 20 million individuals worldwide, and it has a serious detrimental effect on their quality of life. Effective treatments remain lacking, although some evidence of benefit supports olfactory training (OT).
• During each 20-minute session, patients received combined tDCS (Anodal or Sham) and on-line olfactory training, where they sniffed 10 randomly presented scents (e.g., rosemary, eucalyptus, vanilla) from a customized kit.
• Concurrent A-tDCS and OT alleviates persistent anosmia in COVID-19 patients
• The effects of A-tDCS on PFC suggest the involvement of brain olfactory circuits in post-COVID-19 anosmia
• A-tDCS is a safe and widespread tool for millions of people with post-COVID-19 anosmia

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