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Related Concept Videos

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
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The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
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Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...
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Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
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As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
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Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
10:42

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

Olfactory function and malnutrition in geriatric patients.

Christine Smoliner1, Andrea Fischedick, Cornel C Sieber

  • 1Department of Geriatrics, St.-Marien-Hospital Borken GmbH, Am Boltenhof 7, 46325 Borken, Germany. christine.smoliner@hospital-borken.de.

The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
|July 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Olfactory deficits, or impaired sense of smell, were not linked to malnutrition in older adults. This study found no association between smell function and nutritional status in geriatric patients.

Keywords:
Nutritional statusOlder adultsOlfactory dysfunction.

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Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Nutritional Science
  • Sensory Science

Background:

  • Impaired olfaction is a potential risk factor for malnutrition in older adults.
  • Limited research exists on the association between olfactory deficits and nutritional status in the elderly population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between olfactory deficits and nutritional status in older patients.
  • To determine if impaired smell is associated with malnutrition in a geriatric cohort.

Main Methods:

  • 191 geriatric patients were assessed for nutritional status using body mass index and Mini-Nutritional Assessment.
  • Olfactory function was evaluated using the Sniffin' Sticks test (SST) and subjective patient ratings.
  • Self-caring capacity (Barthel Index) and cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination) were also assessed.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of hyposmia was 39.3% and functional anosmia was 31.9% among the 191 participants (mean age 79.6 years).
  • Malnourished patients did not show significantly lower Sniffin' Sticks test scores compared to those at nutritional risk.
  • Linear regression indicated nutritional status was influenced by the Barthel Index, age, and medication count, but not by olfactory function.

Conclusions:

  • Olfactory function was not found to be associated with nutritional status in this sample of older adults.
  • The study suggests that factors other than smell impairment are more influential on nutritional status in this geriatric population.