Olfactory function, cognitive aging, and dementia

With an aging population, an increasing number of older individuals stands at risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

This raises the need for reliable, inexpensive, and non-invasive screening tools to identify dementia at an early stage, when interventions are maximally effective.

Recent studies suggest that olfactory function may be a useful biomarker for identifying individuals in a preclinical dementia phase.

The aim of the planned project is to deepen our knowledge regarding olfactory deficits in aging and their role in predicting dementia and cognitive decline.

The project covers 4 main topics: (1) Olfactory performance and risk of future dementia and cognitive impairment, (2) The association between olfactory decline and cognitive decline, (3) Mechanisms of olfactory function and decline, and (4) Clinical advantages of olfactory testing.

We will make use of the database from a Swedish population-based cohort – SNAC-K – with repeated assessment of olfactory abilities, neuropsychological test performance, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia across 18-years. Within SNAC-K, we will perform a new magnetic resonance imaging data collection for part of the sample.

In relation to topics 1, 3 and 4, we will also collect new data on olfactory function in a memory clinic sample.

Together, these databases will allow for significant novel contributions to the areas of olfaction, cognitive aging, and dementia, both with regard to theory and clinical applications.