Use of coffee grounds to test olfaction for predicting cognitive dysfunction and decline

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Clinical Neurology

Background:

• Cognitive dysfunction and decline are significant concerns in neurobehavioral disorders.
• Early prediction of cognitive decline is crucial for timely intervention.
• Olfactory function is increasingly recognized as a potential early biomarker for neurological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if non-standardized testing of olfaction (nSOIT) can predict cognitive dysfunction and decline.
• To assess the utility of a simple olfactory test in patients presenting with cognitive complaints.
• To determine the predictive value of olfactory impairment for cognitive decline in a neurobehavioral disorder cohort.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 82 patients with cognitive deficits.
• Non-standardized odor identification testing (nSOIT) using coffee grounds.
• Correlation of nSOIT results with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores and cognitive decline over time using mixed effects multiple regression.

Main Results:

• No association was found between initial nSOIT performance and objective cognitive dysfunction in the cross-sectional analysis.
• Impaired olfaction on follow-up nSOIT testing was a sensitive but nonspecific predictor of cognitive decline in the longitudinal analysis.

Conclusions:

• Routine olfactory testing, even when non-standardized, may be a valuable clinical tool.
• nSOIT can aid clinicians in predicting cognitive dysfunction and decline in patients with neurobehavioral disorders.
• Olfactory assessment offers a convenient and accessible method for risk stratification.