Awareness of olfactory deficits in healthy aging, amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction is present in early Alzheimer's disease (AD), and has now been reported in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Recent evidence suggests that unawareness of an olfactory deficit may predict which MCI patients will subsequently meet AD criteria. However, important methodological limitations challenge this suggestion. While addressing some of the limitations of previous research, this preliminary study explores unawareness of olfactory deficits as a predictive factor of future AD among people with aMCI. Methods: Twenty-five participants with aMCI, 25 AD patients, and 22 healthy elderly participants underwent testing of olfactory identification. Subjectiv..