Table 3.
Selection of Findings From Olfactory Neuro-Epithelium–Derived Models for Psychiatric Disorders
| Disorder | Model | Results | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neurodegenerative disorders | |||
| Alzheimer’s disease | Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Methoxy-X04-derivative BSC4090 as a biomarker of early stage Alzheimer | (Pellkofer et al., 2019) |
| Parkinson’s disease | Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Disease-specific alterations in gene and protein expression as a model for Parkinson’s disease | (Matigian et al., 2010) (Parkinson + SCZ) |
| Schizophrenia | |||
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines (and iPSCs) | Differences in DNA methylation in fibroblasts, olfactory neurosphere-derived cells, and iPSCs | (Vitale et al., 2017) | |
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Dysregulated protein synthesis | (English et al., 2015) | |
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Alterations in cell cycle dynamics | (Fan et al., 2012) | |
| Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Involvement of the SMAD pathway in brain function | (Horiuchi et al., 2016) | |
| Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Alterations in cell cycle dynamics | (McCurdy et al., 2006) (SCZ + BP) | |
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Alterations of microtubular organisation | (Solis-Chagoyan et al., 2013) (SCZ + BP) | |
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Alterations of autophagic processes | (Sumitomo et al., 2018) (SCZ + BP) | |
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Changes in IRS2 tyrosine phosphorylation suggestive of insulin resistance | (Takayanagi et al., 2020) (SCZ + BP) | |
| Affective disorders | |||
| Bipolar disorder | Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Alterations in intracellular calcium signaling | (Hahn et al., 2005) |
| Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Molecular changes through lithium treatment and association with treatment response | (Narayan et al., 2014) | |
| Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Association of GSK3ß and CRMP1 with mood symptoms | (McLean et al., 2018) | |
| Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Alterations of microtubular organization | (Solis-Chagoyan et al., 2013) (SCZ + BP) | |
| Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Alterations in phosphatidylinositol signaling pathways | (McCurdy et al., 2006) (SCZ + BP) | |
| Neurodevelopmental disorders | |||
| Fragile-X-Syndrome | Cultured olfactory neurosphere-derived cell lines | Indication for the feasibility of testing for FMR1 mutations using olfactory neurons as a model for Fragile-X syndrome | (Abrams et al., 1999) |
| Rett-Syndrome | Olfactory neuro-epithelial tissue | Alterations in neuronal structure and quantity as a model for Rett-Syndrome | (Ronnett et al., 2003) |
| ASD | Olfactory stem cells | Altered molybdenum cofactor sulfenase expression as a potential biomarker for ASD | (Feron et al., 2016) |
| Olfactory stem cells | Dysregulation of 4 micro RNAs as early biomarkers of ASD | (Nguyen et al., 2016) | |
| Olfactory stem cells (and iPSCs) | Impaired expression of a long noncoding RNA (COSMOC) as a model for ASD | (Rontani et al., 2020) |
Abbreviations: BP, bipolar disorder; COSMOC, antisense long noncoding RNA of molybdenum cofactor sulfurase (MOCOS); CRMP1, Collapsin Response Mediator Protein 1; FMR1, fragile X mental retardation 1; GSK3ß, Glykogensynthase-Kinase 3; IRS2, insuline receptor subtype 2; SMAD, SMA and Mothers Against Decapentaplegic (MAD); SCZ, schizophrenia.