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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Olfactory Assays for Mouse Models of Neurodegenerative Disease
Published on: August 25, 2014
Olfactory function and olfactory bulb volume in Wilson's disease
Nazan Degirmenci1, Bayram Veyseller2, Hasmet Hanagasi3
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey. nzndegirmenci@hotmail.com.
Wilson's Disease (WD) patients often experience olfactory dysfunction, impacting their sense of smell. Assessing smell function may aid in monitoring WD progression, though olfactory bulb volume changes were not significant in this study.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Otolaryngology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Wilson's Disease (WD) is a genetic disorder of copper metabolism.
- Neurological and psychiatric symptoms are common in WD, but olfactory changes are less studied.
- Olfactory dysfunction may be an early or subtle sign of neurological involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate olfactory function in patients with Wilson's Disease.
- To assess olfactory bulb (OB) volume in WD patients using MRI.
- To determine if olfactory function or OB volume differs between WD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, single-blinded study comparing 12 WD patients to 12 healthy controls.
- Olfactory function was evaluated using the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) test.
- Olfactory bulb volumes were measured via 1.5 T MRI.
Main Results:
- WD patients showed significantly poorer olfactory function compared to controls (p < 0.05).
- No significant difference in olfactory bulb volumes was found between the two groups (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Wilson's Disease patients frequently exhibit olfactory dysfunction.
- Olfactory function assessment could be a valuable tool for monitoring WD patients.
- Further research is needed to correlate olfactory changes with WD progression and evolution.
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