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Olfaction
is the sense of smell. Olfaction deteriorates in the course
of normal aging, as indicated by the fact that elderly people
tend to do worse than younger people on tests such as naming
a sample smell. Olfaction may also deteriorate rapidly in
the course of Alzheimer's
disease. This may be because the part of the brain responsible
for processing smells (the olfactory cortex) is close to the
hippocampus
and other brain areas which show some of the earliest damage
in Alzheimer's disease. A recent study has suggested that
abnormal performance on a smell test may be useful in early
detection of Alzheimer's disease.
Further Reading:
Article : "SMELL
TEST FOR ALZHEIMER'S"
by Catherine E. Myers. Copyright © 2006 Memory Loss and the Brain |
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