Assessing olfaction is important in the evaluation of the elderly.
Problems in olfaction can occur after traumatic brain injury (NEJM JW Psychiatry Apr 15 2015; [e-pub] and Neurology 2015; 84:1559). Two research groups used the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a 40-item forced-choice test, to examine the importance of this usually neglected cranial nerve in aging populations.
To see whether olfaction is linked to dementia biomarkers, Growdon and colleagues evaluated 215 clinically normal individuals from an aging study (mean age, 74; women, 59%). Participants underwent the UPSIT, neuropsychological tests, and brain imaging protocols. About 33% of participants were in the lowest quartile for UPSIT or episodic contextual memory; 10% were in the lowest quartile for both. Worse olfa…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)