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#P10
POSTER SESSION I:
MULTIMODAL RECEPTION;
CHEMOSENSATION & DISEASE;
TASTE PERIPHERY; OLFACTION PERIPHERY
Affect Dependent Phantosmia
Yuri L. Yakov, Alan R. Hirsch, Heng C.T. Wei, Svetlana Yakov
Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation
Chicago, IL, USA
Objective:
Mood can influence olfactory threshold (Dumlao
2010). The impact of mood on quality of phantosmia has not
previously been described.
Methods:
A 50 year old woman
presented with a 7 year history of closed head injury induced
anosmia and phantosmia. Since then, she complained of depression,
frequent crying, indecisiveness, anxiety, and inability to get along
with others. She felt all food had no taste, but when presented
alone, she could easily detect salt, sweet, bitter, and chocolate.
Alcohol only had a burning sensation. Intermittently, for a few
seconds duration, when happy, she notes a floral odor, but when
sad, she detects a chemical/gasoline/sulfur odor; both resolve with
distraction. Abnormal examination finding: bilateral: scalloped
tongue, palmar erythema, pale fundi, ptosis, cerebellar spooning,
distal vibratory sensation reduction, 3+ and pendular quadriceps
femoris reflexes.
Results:
Chemosensory testing: Phenol Ethyl-
Alcohol Threshold Test L: -2.5, R: > -2.0; University of
Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test L: 8, R: 7 (Anosmia).
Dirhinous, Quick Smell Identification Test 0, Alcohol Sniff Test 0.
MRI normal sinuses; focal area of encephalomalacia and gliosis in
bilateral inferior frontal lobes.
Discussion:
The mechanism for
such affective dependent phantosmia is unclear. It may represents
psychodynamic projections of the underlying mood state. Or, mood
state may be associated with an imbalance of neurotransmitters,
which also influence the entorhinal cortex, inducing selective
firing of olfactory neurons. Mood state may have induced selective
attention towards the hedonics of the phantosmia. Alternatively,
the hedonics of the phantosmia may have impacted on the mood.
Quality of phantosmia in relation to affect warrants further
evaluation.
Source of Funding
: None.
#P11
POSTER SESSION I:
MULTIMODAL RECEPTION;
CHEMOSENSATION & DISEASE;
TASTE PERIPHERY; OLFACTION PERIPHERY
A Quick, Non-Invasive, and Reliable Diagnostic Test for
Alzheimer’s Disease
Jennifer J Stamps
1
, Linda M Bartoshuk
1
, Kenneth M Heilman
2
1
University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste Gainesville,
FL, USA,
2
University of Florida Department of Neurology
Gainesville, FL, USA
This study was to assess a quick clinical test of CN 1 that may
help diagnose probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Many
symptoms/signs of AD are shared with other neurodegenerative
disorders. Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce disability,
enhance quality of life, and aid clinical trials. The olfactory cortex
is one of the earliest areas damaged in AD and the left hemisphere
is often affected earlier than the right. Thus, the purpose of this
study was to investigate odor detection in each nostril of patients
with AD versus controls. The experimental participants were
patients with a diagnosis of AD based on the NIND and SADRDA
criteria. Patients with a comorbid dementia, severe AD, allergy to
peanuts, or history of a brain tumor, stroke, nasal polyps, or severe
head injury were excluded. The patient’s odor detection was tested
one nostril at a time while their eyes, mouth, and one versus the
other nostril were closed. A container of 14g of peanut butter was
raised up from the bottom of a 30 cm ruler 1cm at a time.
Upon detection, the distance from their nostril to the peanut
butter was measured. Patients with AD were significantly more
impaired at detecting an odor with their left nostril (mean detection
distance = 4.43cm) than with their right nostril (mean detection
distance = 18.14 cm) (p<0.0001). The mean difference of the left
nostril’s detection distance minus the right nostril’s detection
distance was -13.71cm which was significantly different from
patients with other types of dementia and controls by at least
p<0.00001. A Fisher exact test on the χ2 of the frequency
distribution of this difference score of the probable AD patients
was significantly different from patients with other types of
dementia, those with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and from older
controls (all with a p<0.00001) Acknowledgements: TL1RR029889
from the National Center for Research Resources and by the
NIH Roadmap for Medical Research via UF’s Clinical and
Translational Science Institute
#P12
POSTER SESSION I:
MULTIMODAL RECEPTION;
CHEMOSENSATION & DISEASE;
TASTE PERIPHERY; OLFACTION PERIPHERY
Patterns of ERP Brain Activity During Odor Identification
Differ in Those at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Charlie D. Morgan
1
, Claire Murphy
1,2
1
San Diego State University, Department of Psychology
San Diego, CA, USA,
2
University of California Medical Center
San Diego, CA, USA
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects 5.3 million people in the US and
is the 6
th
leading cause of death. This study examined 60 healthy
non-demented individuals across three age groups (young, middle,
old). Half of each age group were positive for the genetic risk
factor for AD, the ApoE ε4 allele, and half were negative. Fourteen
different odors were presented repeatedly via computer controlled
olfactometer and each subject was asked to identify the odors via
button press response to four multiple-choice options presented on
a computer screen. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded
from the scalp via a 64-channel AG/AG/CL sintered electrode cap
and analyzed offline. This study examined topographical ERP brain
activation in this population at risk for AD. In the young age
group ε4+ participants showed greater overall brain activation at
left parietal electrodes than ε4- participants. In the middle age
group ε4+ and ε4- participants demonstrated similar brain activity
patterns with slightly more activity for ε4+ participants in right
hemisphere electrodes compared to left during the 900-1000ms
time interval. The greatest differences were seen in the older age
group where ε4- participants showed an increase in activation over
left and central electrode sites between 900-1100ms, while ε4+
participants showed relatively less overall activation during that
time period, but increasing activation over right frontal electrodes
between 1000-1200ms. Overall these findings indicate that patterns
of brain activity while identifying odors differs not only by age, but
also by ApoE status. This suggests that possession of the ApoE ε4
allele may affect how the brain processes olfactory information,
which in turn, may at some point, aid in early pre-clinical diagnosis
of AD. Acknowledgements: Supported by NIH Grant DC02064 to
Claire Murphy. The authors would like to acknowledge the late Dr.
Leon Thal and the ADRC for genotyping (P50AG05131), Krystin
Corby, Roberto Zamora, Joel Kowalewski, Melissa Cervantes, and
Richard Vail for their contributions.
32 | AChemS Abstracts 2012
Abstracts are printed as submitted by the author(s)
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