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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

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Published on: August 25, 2014
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Smell identification function and Alzheimer's disease: a selective review
1Psychiatry for the Elderly, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Current Opinion in Psychiatry
|January 17, 2015
Summary
Alzheimer's disease patients exhibit impaired olfactory function, particularly in identifying smells. This dysfunction may serve as an early marker for disease progression and conversion from mild cognitive impairment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- Olfactory dysfunction is increasingly recognized as an early symptom of AD.
- Understanding olfactory changes may aid in early diagnosis and disease monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent studies on olfactory function in Alzheimer's disease.
- To focus on the role of olfactory identification in AD.
- To assess the diagnostic potential of olfactory tests in AD.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of recent scientific literature.
- Analysis of studies investigating olfactory function in AD patients and controls.
- Correlation of olfactory performance with clinical and imaging data.
Main Results:
- Confirmed poorer olfactory function in AD patients compared to healthy individuals.
- Olfactory dysfunction is a potential marker for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) conversion to AD.
- Olfactory identification is linked to AD severity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and brain imaging findings.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory dysfunction, especially impaired odor identification, is evident in AD.
- Further research is needed to establish the clinical utility of olfactory tests for early and differential diagnosis of AD.
- Simple, non-invasive olfactory tests could potentially aid in AD diagnosis and understanding.
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