Smell-Based VR Therapy May Help Slow Cognitive Decline

This week marks a major milestone in the fight against cognitive decline after a team of engineers created and tested an olfactory stimulation system in a customized VR environment. The group seeks to help slow the effects of mental decline due to aging and aid those suffering from brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s what you need to know.

Understanding Dementia and Its Global Impact

The term dementia covers a broad range of brain disorders. These diseases can cause a person to lose memories, behave erratically, and lose their ability to think clearly. Sadly, +55M people are suffering from dementia related diseases globally, and this number is predicted to increase in the coming decade.  Notably, Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent cause of dementia.

Most people know or have met someone who has dementia. You notice their cognitive decline in memory, attention, and senses. As these ailments increase, the patient can experience a sharp decline in their quality of life. Eventually, dementia patients require help, adding to the financial costs of treating patients.

Current Treatment Methods for Dementia

The worst part about dementia is that no cure exists. However, several treatments can prevent its onset or help those suffering from its effects. Notably, traditional dementia cognitive treatment strategies rely on a combination of visual and auditory stimuli. Older methods would utilize photos and videos to stimulate memories.

How Virtual Reality Is Being Used to Treat Dementia

Researchers recently turned towards another technology to try and boost their patients’ memories, Virtual Reality (VR). VR-based cognitive rehabilitation brings some serious benefits to the table. For one, it can be customized to meet the needs of the patient.

Researchers are already utilizing VR tools that enable patients to share memories and experiences with their loved ones. Imagine a WWII pilot taking his family through the cockpit of his old plane.

These memories are still locked in the patient’s long-term memory, which helps to anchor the new memories and experiences with their loved ones. While limited, the research into VR systems and dementia is underway.

What Is Olfactory Stimulation and How Does It Work?

Interestingly, there have been recent advancements in olfactory VR systems. These systems allow you to smell while venturing through VR environments. This added sense helps to lock these experiences into your brain. This scenario is even more effective when discussing your sense of smell.

Smell signals are different in their pathway to the brain versus other senses. Your other senses first go through a thalamic relay before getting sent to the part of your brain responsible for memories. Smell senses skip this step. Instead, they flow into your limbic structures. These areas of the brain are directly linked to memory and include the piriform cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus.

Why Multisensory Stimulation Boosts Memory Recall

Olfactory stimulation has another advantage in that it adds a layer of valid cognitive engagement when utilized with other senses.  Studies have shown that the more senses you engage, the more likely you are to remember a moment. This revelation has long been understood by marketers. A magazine ad is nice, but a YouTube video has sight and sound. Add a game, and now there is touch.

Limitations of Traditional Aroma Therapy

There have been many studies to support how olfactory stimulation can improve memory. Aroma cards are the most common form of olfactory stimulation treatment in use today. However, these cards have some restrictions that have limited their effectiveness.

For one, they are stagnant in their design and function, meaning that prolonged use can become repetitive. Thankfully, it appears the technologies are going to merge.

New Study Uses VR and Smell to Stimulate Memory in Seniors

The study, Exploring the effects of olfactory VR on visuospatial memory and cognitive processing in older adults, published in the journal Scientific Reports, introduces a novel Olfactory VR training system designed specifically to address cognitive decline in the elderly. The report delves into the creation and testing of the device alongside its cognitive impact on patients.

The olfactory VR study is the first to evaluate the cognitive effects of this treatment. It combines real-world environments and recognizable odors to simulate natural multisensory interactions. This approach enabled engineers to activate memory pathways, improving memory in the user.

Inside the Interactive Smellscape VR Experience

The team created a VR map called Interactive Smellscape. This virtual world was set up to replicate natural environments and odors. The group utilized a high-performance computer to host the virtual world. The METAQuest 3 and META controllers were chosen as the optimal platforms for display and control. This setup allowed motion-tracked interactions in real time.

High-Tech Scent Delivery in Virtual Reality

The next step was to integrate an olfactory display. The team tried many options but eventually found that the one manufactured by Ono Denki (Japan) was ideal for the experiment. It offered the most flexibility as it could hold 12 distinct odor samples. The unit integrates solenoids that release the proper amount of each odor with the VR gameplay, opening the door to true interaction on a new scale.

Which Scents Were Used in the Study and Why?

The team researched many different odor sets before determining that the best options were two separate smell sets. The first set consisted of the odors of orange, lavender, and spearmint. The second set included Melon, Mango, and plum. These sets were optimal because they provided distinct olfactory profiles with minimal perceptual overlap, allowing participants to easily determine each smell.

How the Smellscape Challenge Worked in Practice

The Interactive Smellscape was full of interesting spots. The user traversed the digital landscape until they found a location that was of interest. The participant would approach a lantern, which would then release the odor alongside a colored mist and other stimuli within the VR environment.

The player would then need to traverse the VR environment in search of the same smell. Notably, the olfactory display releases small amounts of the odor to help guide the player as they approach.

To test a smell, the player would go to a lantern. This lantern would then emit 3 puffs of smoke, each with a different odor. The player must determine what odor is the original scent they smelled to pass the test.

Testing the Impact of VR Smell Therapy on Seniors

To test the olfactory VR capabilities, the team gathered 30 participants aged 63-90.  They scheduled each participant for two tests with a 6-day pause between their first and second trials. From there, they allowed the participant to journey through the Smellscape and memorize and match senses. During this process, the engineers paid close attention to key metrics such as the patient’s ability to focus, memorize notes, and their overall spatial processing.

Using Scent to Navigate the VR Environment

The navigation testing phase saw patients remember their way along a virtual map, using smell to guide them. This test reviewed the patient’s olfactory discrimination and working memory retrieval capabilities. Players were easily able to locate the matching smells.

Measuring Visual-Spatial Skills with Japanese Characters

The next test had patients determine if rotated Japanese characters matched the originals shown to them 6 days prior. The team noticed that when utilizing olfactory systems, the patients saw improved scores. The added scoring was due to the brain’s ability to remember smells more distinctly than other senses.

Can Scents Help Recall Word Locations?

This test had patients memorize word positions in a grid. The patients were then asked to determine what words were missing from the grid they were shown days prior. They found that the olfactory sense reinforced memories could be recalled faster and with more accuracy.  Notably, several other cognitive tests were conducted.

What the Study Found About Smell-Based VR Therapy

The team received mixed results on their study. For one, they determined that VR-based olfactory training enhances cognitive engagement and maximizes its therapeutic impact. Additionally, it was found that with 20 minutes of gameplay, the smell memory phase can help improve odor recognition and memory encoding.

The Benefits of Using VR and Smell in Cognitive Therapy

There are a lot of benefits that this study brings to the market. For one, this approach towards dementia is non-invasive and easy to integrate into treatments. The approach doesn’t require surgeons or other related experts, reducing costs and enabling it to be utilized by more facilities globally.

This study represents a shift towards olfactory sensory VR. As the first to systematically assess the cognitive effects of olfactory VR gaming within a structured cognitive training paradigm for older adults, it represents an important step towards maximizing therapeutic impact.

Gamifying Therapy: Why Fun Helps Memory

Another benefit is that gamification can transform boring treatments into a fun and engaging event that patients look forward to going to regularly. Motivation is a strong factor in determining the effectiveness of a treatment as hesitant participants often don’t get the same results.

Customizing VR Therapy for Emotional Impact

The fact that VR environments can be setup in any manner opens the door for some cool treatment concepts. From enabling a person to travel back in time to their hay day, all the way to allowing them to take the family to the moon or the bottom of the sea, VR systems open the door for truly customized and personalized treatments.

When Will Smell-Enhanced VR Enter Healthcare?

There are many real-world applications for olfactory stimulation VR systems.  These systems will one day span multiple sectors, covering next-generation entertainment to odor-based therapies. Your olfactory sense is more than how you smell; it can also help researchers determine diseases early on, as it’s seen as a primary marker of cognitive decline.

You can expect to see olfactory VR systems making their way into nursing homes and treatment centers in the next 5 years. These systems utilize commercially available hardware, making them readily available to the market. As such, the system is already ready for commercial use. However, more studies need to be conducted to understand their long-term effects.

Olfactory Stimulation Researchers

The olfactory stimulation study was a collaboration that saw research teams from the Institute of Science Tokyo, the University of the Arts London, Bunkyo Gakuin University, and Hosei University, Japan, work together to achieve their results. Specifically, the main authors are listed as Ryota Sunami, Takamichi Nakamoto, Nathan Cohen,  Takefumi Kobayashi, and Kohsuke Yamamoto.

What’s Next for Olfactory VR in Cognitive Health?

Olfactory stimulation could become the next major way in which people interact with virtual environments. The engineers hope that their work helps to contribute to the study of multisensory cognitive training, which could one day help to treat millions suffering from brain disorders.

Investing in the VR Space

Some dominant tech firms are running the VR market. These firms have invested billions into creating massive virtual worlds where players can spend months wondering, discovering, and building. Also, the expansion of the metaverse concept continues to drive VR adoption up. Here’s a company positioned to capture additional revenue if olfactory stimulation goes mainstream.

META (META +4.34%) entered the market in 2004 as Facebook. The company had a rough start after it was alleged that its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, stole the idea from classmates, the Winklevoss Twins. Despite the controversial beginnings, Facebook went from a college hookup website to one of the largest social media platforms in a few short years.

In 2021, the company rebranded as Meta Platforms, Inc. This maneuver was done to mark the company’s change in focus from social media towards their latest venture, the metaverse. The metaverse is seen by many as the future of gaming and interactions. It allows users to build and communicate in new ways.

META continues to push innovative VR solutions and hardware. In 2023 Meta launched Threads and Meta Quest 3. The latter was used in the olfactory stimulation experiments. Notably, the company’s share size, market positioning, and steadfast focus on VR make it a strong stock with future potential.

Latest on Meta

How Smell in Virtual Reality May Help Treat Dementia

When you examine the positive effects of olfactory stimulation when coupled with advanced VR technology in fighting dementia, there’s no reason not to push forward. This study helps to prove that dementia treatments can be improved without requiring invasive surgeries. Additionally, it opens the door for the elderly to connect with the rest of the community in new and exciting ways.

Learn about other cool VR developments here.

Studies Referenced:

^{1. Sunami, R., Nakamoto, T., Cohen, N., Kobayashi, T., & Yamamoto, K. (2025). Exploring the effects of olfactory VR on visuospatial memory and cognitive processing in older adults. Scientific Reports, 15, Article 10805. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94693-9}