# Active roles of glial cells in olfaction and age-related olfactory decline

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2022 · $306,989

## Abstract

Project Summary
Age-dependent olfactory decline (presbyosmia) is widely present in many species, including humans. At least
fifteen million Americans over 55 years old suffer from presbyosmia. By affecting the well-being, quality of life,
and overall health, presbyosmia presents a significant challenge to public health. Patients with presbyosmia
often show a decreased interest in food, can withdraw socially, and exhibit higher rates of depression.
Furthermore, many age-related neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease,
are commonly associated with olfactory dysfunction. In fact, olfactory loss often precedes various motoric
symptoms in these deadly neurological diseases. Despite the importance of olfaction to human physiology and
health, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying presbyosmia are poorly understood (knowledge
gap).
As a major cell type in the nervous system, glial cells are typically considered as passive modulators during
neural development and synaptic transmission. Whether glial cells play active roles in sensory transduction
and brain aging is not well understood. C. elegans is a well-established model organism for neuroscience and
aging research due to its simple nervous system, short lifespan, and powerful genetic tools. Very importantly,
genetic studies from multiple model organisms have shown that the evolutionarily conserved genetic programs
and signaling pathways play pivotal roles in regulating sensory transduction and aging process across species.
This proposal will bring together in vivo calcium imaging, optogenetics, molecular genetics, and behavioral
analysis to investigate and discover the molecular mechanisms through which the olfactory glial cells play
active roles in odorant detection and age-dependent olfactory decline. Since both olfaction and aging are
regulated by the evolutionarily conserved genes and signaling pathways, our innovative studies on C. elegans
glial cells in olfaction and age-associated olfactory decline will provide mechanistic insights into similar
processes in other species.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10418697
- **Project number:** 5R01AG063766-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Rui Xiao
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $306,989
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10418697

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10418697, Active roles of glial cells in olfaction and age-related olfactory decline (5R01AG063766-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10418697. Licensed CC0.

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