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Updated: Jul 1, 2025

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
Association of Olfactory and Gustatory Function with Memory among Community-Dwelling Independent Older Adults
Hyuma Makizako1, Yuki Nakai2, Shoma Akaida3
1Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
Background:
This study examined the association between memory function and reduced olfactory and gustatory function among independent community-dwelling older adults.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 127 older adults (65.4% women). We assessed their memory, odor, and taste identification skills. Open essence (OE) test and taste strips (TS) were used to identify hyposmia (OE test ≤6) and hypogeusia (TS test ≤8), respectively.
Results:
Participants with severe hyposmia had significantly poorer memory functions compared to participants without severe hyposmia. After adjusting for covariates, multivariate logistic regression models revealed a significant association between immediate recognition performance and a decreased likelihood of severe hyposmia (odds ratio=0.65; 95% confidence interval 0.47-0.90). We observed no significant association between taste function and memory.
Conclusion:
Memory function may be associated with olfactory impairment in older adults.
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