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Olfactory Dysfunction

  • Chapter
Parkinson’s Disease and Nonmotor Dysfunction

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Neurology ((CCNEU))

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Abstract

Numerous studies have established the presence of olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease (PD), which includes deficits in odor identification, threshold detection, and odor recognition memory. Sniff vigor may also have an important role in PD, but this is not typically assessed. Regardless, the olfactory deficit in PD typically ranges from moderate hyposmia to anosmia and is therefore more severe than the milder hyposmia (or even normosmia) found in patients with other Parkinsonian syndromes, such as multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal ganglionic degeneration. Patients with inherited Parkinsonism also have significant deficits in olfactory function. Lastly, this chapter reviews the neuropathology of olfactory dysfunction in PD.

Olfactory dysfunction in PD may precede the onset of motor dysfunction by many years. This information may become important in (1) making a clinical diagnosis of PD, (2) distinguishing PD from other Parkinsonian syndromes, and (3) making decisions regarding the utilization of potential neuroprotective therapies when they become available.

This chapter reviews the nature of olfactory dysfunction in PD. Neuroanatomical aspects of olfaction are first considered.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Sarah Furtado MD, PhD, FRCP(C)

  2. Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL

    Zbigniew K. Wszolek MD

Authors
  1. Sarah Furtado MD, PhD, FRCP(C)
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  2. Zbigniew K. Wszolek MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN

    Ronald F. Pfeiffer MD

  2. Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

    Ivan Bodis-Wollner MD, DSc

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

    Ivan Bodis-Wollner MD, DSc

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© 2005 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Furtado, S., Wszolek, Z.K. (2005). Olfactory Dysfunction. In: Pfeiffer, R.F., Bodis-Wollner, I. (eds) Parkinson’s Disease and Nonmotor Dysfunction. Current Clinical Neurology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-859-5:245

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-859-5:245

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-316-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-859-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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