Smell disfunction: an early warning of neurocognitive damage

OTERO-LOSADA, M.

Gröningen, The Netherlands

Congreso; Internatl. Congress of Medical Sciences, University Hospital of Gröningen; 2005

Introduction: Disturbances in the sense of smell may be important both clinically and theoretically in Alzheimer´s disease. Poor olfactory recognition performance has been detected in various neurodegenerative processes though the neuroanatomical and neurochemical basis for this disturbance are still uncertain while there is an abundance of preclinical and clinical data linking olfaction with acetylcholine. Purpose:        This study aimed to evaluate olfactory functioning early after clinical diagnosis of AD. References:   Doty, R.L., Shaman, P., Dann, M. Development of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT): a standardized microencapsulated test of olfactory function. Physiol. Behav. 32: 489–502, 1984. Kesslak J. P., Cotman C. W., Chui H. C., Van den Noort S., Fang H., Pfeffer R., Lynch G. Olfactory tests as possible probes for detecting and monitoring Alzheimer´s disease. Neurobiol Aging 9 (4): 399-403, 1988. Lehrner J. P., Brucke T., Dal-Bianco P., Gatterer G., Kryspin-Exner I. Olfactory functions in Parkinson´s disease and Alzheimer´s disease. Chem Senses 22(1):105-110, 1997. Serby M., Larson P., Kalkstein D.The nature and course of olfactory deficits in Alzheimer´s disease. Am J Psychiatry148(3): 357-360, 1991.