Gender-Related Differences in the Correlation between Olfactory Dysfunction and Cognitive Abilities

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 2417

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Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, SP 8 Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
Interests: electron microscopy; scanning electron microscopy; neuroanatomy
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Dear Colleagues,

An impairment in olfactory function is usually associated with a decrease in food intake, personal hygiene and sexual life and may have a negative effect on the quality of daily life. Usually, the prevalence of olfactory deficits increases in relation to age. Many previous studies demonstrated correlations between olfactory dysfunction and mild cognitive impairment. In particular, hyposmia is correlated with damage to memory and executive function. Olfactory function and cognitive performance may share common pathways associated with the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, and entorhinal cortex. This association suggests the necessity to evaluate olfactory function as a potential early biomarker of cognitive impairment in patients. However, up to now, the use of olfactory evaluation is not routinely performed in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, and little data are available as regards the gender-related differences in olfactory impairment associated with cognitive decline. The aim of this specific topic is to study gender-related differences in the correlation between olfactory dysfunction and cognitive abilities. Original research articles, review articles, as well as short communications are invited.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Carla Masala
Dr. Paolo Solla
Dr. Francesco Loy
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • olfactory dysfunction
  • cognitive impairment
  • neurodegenerative disorders
  • neurodegeneration
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Parkinson’s disease

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 539 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Link between Eating Attitudes, Taste and Odour Preferences and the Chemical Senses
by Layla St Clair, Alyssa Grady and Mehmet K. Mahmut
Biology 2023, 12(11), 1415; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12111415 - 10 Nov 2023
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Abstract
Objectives: To examine if higher degrees of pathological eating attitudes in a non-clinical sample are associated with odour and taste perception and preferences based on psychophysical ratings. Participants and Methods: A total of 80 female university students completed the eating attitudes test (EAT-26), [...] Read more.
Objectives: To examine if higher degrees of pathological eating attitudes in a non-clinical sample are associated with odour and taste perception and preferences based on psychophysical ratings. Participants and Methods: A total of 80 female university students completed the eating attitudes test (EAT-26), followed by four chemosensory measures including olfactory and gustatory perception plus perceptual ratings and preferences for food odours and tastes. Results: There were no significant correlations between EAT-26 scores and measures of olfactory and gustatory perception. However, a significant interaction effect indicated higher degrees of pathological eating attitudes may be associated with differential sensitivity to sweet and fatty food odours compared to those with lower levels of pathological eating attitudes. Conclusions: This was the first study to examine pathological eating attitudes using food stimuli with a non-clinical sample. The results remain preliminary until replication. However, the findings highlight the need for development of measures of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours that go beyond caloric restriction. Full article
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13 pages, 1398 KiB  
Article
Gender-Related Differences in the Correlation between Odor Threshold, Discrimination, Identification, and Cognitive Reserve Index in Healthy Subjects
by Carla Masala, Paolo Solla and Francesco Loy
Biology 2023, 12(4), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12040586 - 12 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1209
Abstract
Background: Many studies suggested that olfactory function could be associated with semantic memory, executive function, and verbal fluency. However, the gender-related association between olfactory function and the cognitive domain is not well investigated. The aim of this study was to estimate gender-related differences [...] Read more.
Background: Many studies suggested that olfactory function could be associated with semantic memory, executive function, and verbal fluency. However, the gender-related association between olfactory function and the cognitive domain is not well investigated. The aim of this study was to estimate gender-related differences in the relationship between olfactory function and each specific cognitive domain of the Cognitive Reserve Index (CRI) questionnaire, such as education, working activity, and leisure time in healthy subjects. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-nine participants were recruited (158 women and 111 men), with a mean age of 48.1 ± 18.6 years. The CRI questionnaire and Sniffin’ Sticks test were used to evaluate the cognitive reserve and the olfactory function, respectively. Results: In all subjects, significant associations between the odor threshold versus CRI-Education, between the odor discrimina-tion and identification versus CRI-Working activity and CRI-Leisure Time, were found. In women, odor threshold, discrimination, and identification were associated with CRI-Leisure Time, while in men, only a significant association between odor threshold and CRI-Education was observed. Conclusions: Our data, showing significant gender-related associations between olfactory function and CRI scores, suggested the use of olfactory evaluation and cognitive reserve as an important screening tool for the early detection of mild cognitive impairment. Full article
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