Trouble identifying odors points to Alzheimer’s

updated 3:49 p.m. ET Jan. 23, 2007

An inability to correctly identify familiar odors may be an early indication of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report.

Dr. Robert S. Wilson told Reuters Health that difficulty identifying odors seems to be related the buildup of 'tangles' in the brain that appear early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. “We found the correlation of difficulty identifying familiar odors with Alzheimer’s disease pathology even in people without dementia,” he added.

As reported in the January issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Wilson of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues performed brain autopsies on 129 elderly people who had died while participating in a memory and aging study.

The average age at time of death was 87.5 years. All of the subjects had undergone a standard 12-item Brief Smell Identification Test and had achieved correct scores ranging from 0 to 12.

After allowing for factors such as age and sex, the researchers determined that the density of tangles in the brain increased as correct smell scores went down.

“The results imply that trouble identifying familiar odors is a very early sign of Alzheimer’s disease,” concluded Wilson, “and that olfactory testing may be helpful in early identification of affected people.”

MORE FROM ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Alzheimer's disease Section Front

Going high-tech to track Alzheimer’s patients Murder case a glimpse into stress of caretaking Dementia toll climbs to 35 million worldwide ‘Long sleepers’ show higher dementia risk Cold or flu may speed Alzheimer's memory loss 1 in 5 fewer may get Alzheimer’s due to finding Unhealthy habits mar thinking, memory skills Keep cholesterol in check to ward off dementia New tests could aid early Alzheimer's diagnosis Newsweek: Why our approach to Alzheimer's may be wrong Alzheimer's disease Section Front   Add Alzheimer's disease headlines to your news reader: