Using aromatherapy during sleep is said to improve cognitive performance by 226% in older adults, thanks to better integrity of the uncinate fasciculus in the prefrontal cortex.

noli's read

This impressive figure comes from a pilot study published in 'Frontiers in Neuroscience' (2023). While the results are statistically significant, it is crucial to note that this was a very small sample (n=43), which limits the generalizability of the findings. The study suggests a potential link to the uncinate fasciculus, a brain structure associated with memory, but this remains a mechanistic hypothesis based on neuroimaging rather than an established certainty. The 226% increase reflects specific performance in a word recall task, not a 226% overall improvement in total cognitive capacity, which is an important nuance. Current evidence is promising for exploring the link between olfactory stimulation and cognitive decline, but absolutely requires larger randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to confirm the magnitude of the effect. It is therefore premature to consider aromatherapy a standard therapeutic tool.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.