Sniffing out Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

["M.Schild" <mmoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Washington, Apr 3 (ANI): Thanks to scientists at the University of Cincinnati, 
discovering olfactory disorders that could be an early warning of 
neurological diseases may soon be just a whiff away. 
Professors Robert Frank and Emeritus Robert Gesteland have developed a new 
medical device called the Sniff Magnitude Test (SMT) that could offer an 
early warning of Alzheimerâs disease, Parkinsonâs disease and other 
problems 
outside the typical sensory loss associated with aging. 
âThe whole test is based on the very simple observation that when you sniff 
and you detect a smell, you take a smaller sniff than if you inhaled and 
didnât detect a smell,â said Frank, a UC Psychology Professor. 
 âFor someone with normal sense of smell, the size of the sniff when 
detecting 
an odor is cut in half. For someone who cannot detect odor, the size of the 
sniff for just air and the size of the sniff for an odor are the same,â he 
added. 
According to Prof Frank, in humans the sense of smell is one of our less 
robust senses, and is more susceptible to harm because there is less 
neurological machinery in the brain devoted to processing the sense of smell. 
âSo, thatâs the reason it might be acting a little bit like the canary in 
the 
mineshaft. Because itâs more fragile, when you have insult to the brain, it 
may be sensitive to loss earlier in the disease process,â he said. 
Because smells donât have to be identified as part of the Sniff Magnitude 
Test, the test can be used on adults as well as children (who may be too 
young to link a smell with a name) and people representing international 
cultures (who are unfamiliar with some common odors in the U.S.). 
âWhatâs also unique about this test is that it does not require a good 
memory, 
which is an issue in testing people with Alzheimerâs or some other 
dementia-related diseases. For instance, other tests ask, âDoes this smell 
like garlic?â or, âDoes this smell like tar, or roses?â Once thereâs a 
problem with memory, this kind of test would be difficult,â he said. 
He added that if people, either adult or child, failed the test, then there 
was a good indication that there is something wrong with their olfactory 
senses. 
âIf they fail our test, thatâs a pretty good indication that thereâs 
something 
wrong with their sense of smell. Maybe thereâs an obstruction â a deviated 
septum or polyps. Perhaps the olfactory nerve has been damaged due to a head 
injury or a viral infection,â he said. 
The device is now under further development with the WR Medical Electronics 
Company in Stillwater, Minn. An earlier model of it is currently, being 
tested in a high-profile clinic in Germany as well as at the University of 
Pennsylvania. (ANI)

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