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Several studies suggest that olfactory dysfunction is an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The olfactory bulb and entorhinal cortex are among the first brain structures affected in AD pathology. Therefore, changes in olfactory function may serve as a marker for the progress of pre-symptomatic AD. We have begun a program to explore olfaction as an endpoint for trials of interventions that may arrest or delay pre-symptomatic AD, and thus serve as potential agents for prevention of AD dementia. As a first step in this research we examined (baseline) olfactory abilities in relation to cognitive functions in a group of older dementia-free subjects at risk of AD. 73 adults aged 55 and older, with a first degree family history of AD, were enrolled in a pilot clinical trial of an agent with potential for mitigation of pre-symptomatic AD progression. At baseline, these persons were evaluated cognitively using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), and their sense of smell was evaluated using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Here we report the association of these two measures. 62 % of the sample were female. Mean age was 65.6 ± s.d. 5.0 yrs, and mean education 15.4 ± s.d. 3.3 years. Baseline UPSIT score was significantly associated with score on the RBANS immediate memory sub-scale (Pearson r = 0.350, P < 0.002), and showed a trend toward association with overall RBANS score (r = 0.229, P = 0.051). Participants will now be followed to observe change over time in UPSIT and/or RBANS scores, as well as several imaging and other potential biomarkers.
Lafaille‐Magnan et al. (2013) studied this question.