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Related Experiment Videos

Taste and smell.

J M Weiffenbach1, L M Bartoshuk

  • 1National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Clinics in Geriatric Medicine
|August 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Aging significantly impacts smell but not taste. Many chemosensory deficits in older adults stem from health issues, not just age, and may require coping strategies.

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Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Sensory Science
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Olfactory function declines significantly with advanced age.
  • Gustatory (taste) function remains relatively robust in older adults.
  • Chemosensory deficits in the elderly often arise from pathological conditions, not solely from aging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To differentiate age-related chemosensory changes from those caused by other factors.
  • To highlight the prevalence of non-age-related olfactory and gustatory impairments in the elderly.
  • To discuss management strategies for untreatable sensory losses and phantoms.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on aging and chemosensation.
  • Analysis of causes for olfactory and gustatory decline in elderly populations.

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  • Examination of sensory phantoms and their relation to deficits.

    • Main Results:

    • Olfaction shows dramatic decline with age; taste is more resilient.
    • Pathologic conditions are frequent causes of chemosensory deficits in the elderly.
    • Both sensory losses and phantoms can occur, often untreatable.

    Conclusions:

    • Many elderly chemosensory deficits are attributable to pathology, not aging itself.
    • Untreatable olfactory and gustatory impairments necessitate effective coping mechanisms.
    • Interventions should focus on managing symptoms and improving quality of life for affected individuals.