‘Wake up and smell the coffee’ could have new meaning for potential Alzheimer’s patients, with scientists using the sense of smell to determine how risk-prone one is to the disease. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, tested patients to recognise and remember different odours in a four-stage process, where they also had to indicate whether any of the odours triggered specific memories. The trial used 183 participants. It was found that participants who had cognitive impairment or probable Alzheimer’s experienced difficulty remembering the odours they had been exposed to. The researchers are doing further studies to validate these results. The study was published in Annals of Neurology.

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Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
February 2017