Respiratory responses to olfactory stimuli in Parkinson's disease

There are many reports of olfactory impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and the impairment can be observed before the appearance of typical PD symptom. Accordingly, olfactory screening tests may predict disease onset and indicates a need for early treatment before classic signs of the disease. Olfaction is dependent on inspiration, and activation of olfactory limbic areas are synchronized with the natural breathing cycle in animals and humans. Subconscious changes in respiratory pattern occur in response to odor stimulation. The use of olfactory stimuli to investigate respiratory pattern could be used to assess olfactory perception and serve as an index for olfactory limbic activation. In this study, we tested olfactory acuity in normal subjects and in patients with PD and recorded V(O2) and respiratory variables during pleasant and unpleasant odor presentation. All subjects were able to detect the odorants; however patients with PD were assigned to one of two groups, group that could recognize odors or the group with impaired odor recognition. Respiratory response toward unpleasant and pleasant odor recognition were weak in PD groups who could recognize odors than normal subject as well as emotional response to odor stimuli. PD group with impaired odor recognition showed no respiratory response toward odor stimuli. PD may experience difficulty in feeling positive emotions toward pleasant odors prior to the unpleasant odor because respiratory responses to pleasant odors may also be related to higher processes including intentional control of breathing pattern as a result of olfactory cortex processing and perceptions or emotions.