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. 2024 Nov 29;14(12):2978-3000.
doi: 10.3390/ejihpe14120196.

Olfactory Identification as a Biomarker for Cognitive Impairment: Insights from Healthy Aging, Subjective Cognitive Decline, and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Jaime Bouhaben  1 , Alice Helena Delgado-Lima  1 , María Luisa Delgado-Losada  1
Affiliations

Olfactory Identification as a Biomarker for Cognitive Impairment: Insights from Healthy Aging, Subjective Cognitive Decline, and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Jaime Bouhaben et al. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. .

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the relationship between olfactory identification (OI) and cognitive impairment by examining OI abilities across various stages of cognitive deterioration. Methods: A total of 264 participants were divided into three groups based on cognitive status: cognitively healthy, subjective cognitive, and mild cognitive impairment. All participants were assessed using the Sniffin' Sticks Olfactory Identification test and a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Results: Our results highlight the main effects of age and cognitive status on OI scores. Regarding cognitive abilities, OI is associated with measures of short-term memory, long-term, working memory, and selective attention. Finally, logistic regression models showed that OI is a significant predictor for discriminating SCD from CH, MCI from CH, and MCI from SCD. Discussion: These findings suggest the addition of olfactory identification measures in neuropsychological assessments could improve the early detection of individuals at risk for cognitive impairment.

Keywords: aging; biomarker; cognitive impairment; mild cognitive impairment; neuroplasticity; olfaction; olfactory identification; subjective cognitive decline.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Violin and boxplot for each cognitive group. (B) Distribution of normal, mild impaired, and severe impaired olfaction per cognitive group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean graph of the Olfactory Identification-Recognition score by age and cognitive status.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ROC curves for: (A) CH vs. SCD, (B) CH vs. MCI, and (C) SCD vs. MCI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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