减少的嗅觉可能预测阿尔茨海默氏症

在对认知障碍的人的一项研究中，准确地预测了对阿尔茨海默病的内存损失的减少感。在症状开始前诊断阿尔茨海默氏症的能力将使医生在发生广泛的脑损伤之前将其治疗。该结果在丹麦哥本哈根2014年阿尔茨海默氏协会国际会议上报道。

由哥伦比亚领导的团队Davangere Devanand.，MD，精神病学教授（神经内科和Sergievsky Centre），调查了纽约市的1,037名年长人民的多族裔（34％的白色，30％的非洲裔美国人，36％的西班牙语）样本，平均80.7岁。研究人员在三个时间内以各种方式评估了参与者：从2004-2006，2006-2008和2008-2010中的各种方式评估。2004年至2006年间，以英语或西班牙语进行嗅觉鉴定试验。

In 767 subjects who were followed (after 270 of the original participants had died), lower odor-identification scores were significantly associated with the transition to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, after controlling for such factors as demographic, cognitive, and functional measures and language of administration. For each point lower that a person scored on the smell test, the risk of Alzheimer’s increased by about 10 percent. Even in participants without baseline cognitive impairment, lower baseline smell-test scores—but not measures of verbal memory—were associated with cognitive decline.