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Smell test ‘can aid detection of early Alzheimer’s disease’
An odour identification test has shown potential in detecting early-stage Alzheimer's disease in a pair of new studies.
The Columbia University Medical Center research has indicated that the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) could offer a practical, low-cost alternative to existing testing methods.
In the first of these studies, UPSIT was administered to 397 older adults without dementia. Four years later, 50 participants had developed dementia, while nearly 20 percent had signs of cognitive decline.
Low UPSIT scores – which indicated a decreased ability to correctly identify odours – were shown to be significantly associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
In another study, meanwhile, it was shown that participants with a score of less than 35 on the UPSIT test were more than three times as likely to have memory decline as those with higher scores.
Dr DP Devanand, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and senior author of both studies, said: "Our study adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the potential value of odour identification testing in the detection of early-stage Alzheimer's disease."
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