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December 14, 2004
The Nose Knows
A researcher is claiming that the loss of the ability to smell certain scents is the most reliable indicator of impending Alzheimer's.
Strawberry, smoke, soap, menthol, clove, pineapple, natural gas, lilac, lemon and leather: People with mild cognitive impairment who cannot identify these scents will develop Alzheimer's disease, according to research from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
It's not that Alzheimer's patients can't smell these things, but that they can't identify what they're smelling. The theory behind the study is that the nerves responsible for perceiving & recognizing odors are the first to be affected by Alzheimer's.
Interesting.
Posted by Rita at December 14, 2004 06:05 AM
Comments
If the inability to smell one's own bowel windage were an indicator of impending Alzheimer's, most men (excluding Yours Truly, of course) would be in trouble.
Posted by: Jim at December 14, 2004 02:56 PM
One's own gaseous explusions never smell, do they? Or so I'm told. Ladies do not do that type of thing, of course.
Posted by: rita at December 14, 2004 03:22 PM