New Delhi, April 14 (IANS). Alzheimer’s is a condition in which memory weakens with advancing age. According to medical experts, Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia (brain impairment). In this, there is a decline in memory as well as in thinking, decision making, and the ability to recognize and speak and understand. There are some symptoms which, if noticed, can be controlled. One of these is the ability to smell.
Loss of sense of smell may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s, even before obvious symptoms of memory decline, new research suggests.
The findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, show that early changes in the brain affect the senses, especially the ability to smell.
Scientists from Germany’s DZNE and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich found that the brain’s immune system may play a key role in this process. According to research, immune cells called microglia may mistakenly attack nerve fibers that are necessary for the ability to smell.
The study revealed that problems related to smell arise when communication between two important parts of the brain is disrupted. These include the olfactory bulb, which processes odor signals coming from the nose, and the locus coeruleus, which controls this process through neural connections.
According to scientists, when microglia affect the contact between these two parts, the ability to recognize smell begins to weaken. These changes can later become indicative of other symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
The study included evidence based on both rats and humans. The researchers used brain tissue analysis and PET scanning to understand how these changes occur in the early stages of the disease.
Experts believe that if loss of smell is identified in time, it can prove helpful in early diagnosis of serious diseases like Alzheimer’s, so that better treatment and care options can be developed.
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