Taste, smell and neuropsychological performance of individuals at familial risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Full Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine whether there are chemosensory and neuropsychological changes that predate the onset of Alzheimer's disease in individuals at enhanced risk of developing the condition. To study this question, a unique sample of individuals (n = 33) was studied who were genetically at-risk for AD by virtue of documented multigenerational evidence of the disease (so-called multiplex families). The performance of at-risk individuals was evaluated on various smell, taste, and neuropsychological measures at baseline and 18 months later. Their performance was compared to a control group (n = 32) that was matched in age, gender, education, and race. At baseline the at-risk group performed worse than the control group on the chemosensory measures of phenethyl alcohol smell detection, smell memory, and taste memory, and on a memory measure involving recall of narrative information (Logical Memory I from the Wechsler Memory Scale- Revised). Across both sessions, the at-risk group had lower smell memory scores than the control group. At-risk status was not significantly associated with APOE status. The results of this and other studies suggest that individuals who are genetically at risk for developing AD may perform more poorly on memory and smell measures compared to those not at risk. This effect may be separate from one known genetic risk factor of AD, APOE, and supports that multiple genes are likely responsible for the disease and its associated memory and other neurocognitive symptoms.

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Author information

Author/s: Schiffman, S S (SS); Graham, B G (BG); Sattely-Miller, E A (EA); Zervakis, J (J); Welsh-Bohmer, K (K);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. sss(-atsign-)duke.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Comparative Study; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal: Neurobiology of aging (Neurobiol Aging), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2002 May-Jun; vol 23 (issue 3) : pp 397-404

Dates: Created 2002/04/17; Completed 2002/06/14; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11959402, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged
Alzheimer Disease - genetics
Analysis of Variance
Apolipoproteins E - genetics
Cognition - physiology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans

Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data
Predictive Value of Tests
Risk Factors
Smell - genetics
Taste - genetics

Associated Chemicals: Apolipoproteins E (0)

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