The primary aim of the research proposal is to assess the effect of task demands on measures of olfactory performance in older adults. The proposed study will assess the relationship of three measures of olfaction with non-olfactory measures of cognition in adults age 60 and older. Loss of olfactory function in older adults can be a major problem because of the effect that a loss has on personal safety (i.e., inability to detect the smell of natural gas, inability to identify spoiled foods) and nutrition (i.e., loss of appetite). Research indicates that measures of olfaction are related to degree of cognitive impairment in older adults. One hypothesis for this association that has received little attention is the idea that sensory and cognitive measures are related in older adults because seemingly simple sensory tasks may become more challenging with increased age. It is unclear to what extent current clinical olfactory methods allow researchers to differentiate true olfactory losses due to the effects of aging or disease from an inability to perform tasks due to cognitive limitations. The main problems with existing methods are that they rely on odor memory, language skills and relatively high levels of cognitive function. A novel approach to the evaluation of olfactory sensitivity has recently been developed that may minimize the impact of these factors. It is based on the reduction of the size of a sniff that occurs in response to a malodor. It is hypothesized that the associations between the olfactory tasks and the non-olfactory measures of cognition will differ depending on the cognitive demands of the olfactory tasks. Findings from the proposed study will improve the understanding of the effects of aging on olfaction and cognition.
| Dulay, Mario F; Gesteland, Robert C; Shear, Paula K et al. (2008) Assessment of the influence of cognition and cognitive processing speed on three tests of olfaction. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 30:327-37 |
