Mechanisms of olfactory dysfunction in aging and neurodegenerative disorders

Tibor Kovács

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2003.10.003

Mechanisms of olfactory dysfunction in aging and neurodegenerative disorders

Ageing Res Rev. 2004 Apr;3(2):215-32. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2003.10.003.

Author

Tibor Kovács¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurology, Semmelweis University Medical School, Balassa u. 6, Budapest 1083, Hungary. tibor@neur.sote.hu

PMID: 15177056
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2003.10.003

Abstract

Although olfaction is the primal sense in animals, its importance in humans is underappreciated. Extensive literature demonstrates that aging is accompanied by olfactory loss and hyposmia/anosmia which is also a feature of several neurodegenerative disorders. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are characterized by severe olfactory deficits, while problems of olfactory discrimination are less prominent features in several other disorders. Olfactory loss is accompanied by structural abnormalities of the olfactory epithelium, the olfactory bulb and the central olfactory cortices. This review summarizes our present knowledge about the pathological changes in the olfactory system during aging and in various neurodegenerative diseases.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Aging / pathology*
Animals
Humans
Neurodegenerative Diseases / pathology*
Neurodegenerative Diseases / physiopathology
Olfaction Disorders / pathology*
Olfaction Disorders / physiopathology
Smell / physiology