Takao Ogawa1, Naoya Irikawa2, Daijiro Yanagisawa3, Akihiko Shiino4, Ikuo Tooyama3, Takeshi Shimizu2. 1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Electronic address: takao971@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp. 2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan. 3. Department of Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan. 4. Department of Biomedical MR Science Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer-type dementia (AD) is pathologically characterized by massive neuronal loss in the brain, and the taste cortex is thought to be affected. However, there are only a few reports regarding the gustatory function of AD patients, and the conclusions of this research are inconsistent. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 22 consecutive patients with mild to moderately severe Alzheimer-type dementia (AD) with mean age of 84.0 years, and 49 elderly volunteers without dementia with mean age of 71.0 years as control subjects. The control subjects were divided into two groups according to age: a younger group (N=28, mean age: 68.5) and an older group (N=21, mean age: 83.0). The gustatory function was investigated using the filter paper disc method (FPD) and electrogustometry (EGM). RESULTS: The gustatory function as measured by the FPD was significantly impaired in patients with AD as compared with age-matched control subjects; no such difference was found between the younger and the older control groups. On the other hand, as for the EGM thresholds, there were no differences between the AD patient group and the age-matched controls. CONCLUSION: The FPD method demonstrated decreased gustatory function in AD patients beyond that of aging. On the other hand, EGM thresholds did not differ between the AD patient group and the age-matched controls. These results suggest that failure of taste processing in the brain, but not taste transmission in the peripheral taste system, occurs in patients with AD.
OBJECTIVE:Alzheimer-type dementia (AD) is pathologically characterized by massive neuronal loss in the brain, and the taste cortex is thought to be affected. However, there are only a few reports regarding the gustatory function of ADpatients, and the conclusions of this research are inconsistent. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 22 consecutive patients with mild to moderately severe Alzheimer-type dementia (AD) with mean age of 84.0 years, and 49 elderly volunteers without dementia with mean age of 71.0 years as control subjects. The control subjects were divided into two groups according to age: a younger group (N=28, mean age: 68.5) and an older group (N=21, mean age: 83.0). The gustatory function was investigated using the filter paper disc method (FPD) and electrogustometry (EGM). RESULTS: The gustatory function as measured by the FPD was significantly impaired in patients with AD as compared with age-matched control subjects; no such difference was found between the younger and the older control groups. On the other hand, as for the EGM thresholds, there were no differences between the ADpatient group and the age-matched controls. CONCLUSION: The FPD method demonstrated decreased gustatory function in ADpatients beyond that of aging. On the other hand, EGM thresholds did not differ between the ADpatient group and the age-matched controls. These results suggest that failure of taste processing in the brain, but not taste transmission in the peripheral taste system, occurs in patients with AD.
Authors: Douglas W Wilson; Paul Nash; Harpal Singh Buttar; Keith Griffiths; Ram Singh; Fabien De Meester; Rie Horiuchi; Toru Takahashi Journal: Antioxidants (Basel) Date: 2017-10-28
Authors: Celeste Ferraris; Alexandria Turner; Christopher Scarlett; Martin Veysey; Mark Lucock; Tamara Bucher; Emma L Beckett Journal: Nutrients Date: 2021-02-24 Impact factor: 5.717