Olfactory deficits in elderly subjects and Parkinson patients

Abstract

Two groups of subjects, 8 Parkinson patients and 16 normal elderly people, were examined on a matching and a naming olfactory task. On the former, subjects had to recognize among four a previously sniffed odour, while on the latter they had to label an odour by choosing among four alternatives proposed by the examiner. Analysis indicated different trends for the two groups, Parkinson patients being more efficient in naming than in matching, and the elderly people showing the opposite pattern. Data are discussed with reference to the loss of dopamine in Parkinson patients and the decline of memory processes in elderly people.