Smell loss: a marker of cognitive decline, dementia, and mortality

Summary of talk: “This presentation addresses how impairments in olfactory function are related to ill-health outcomes in aging. Based on unique population-based data from the Swedish Betula Prospective Cohort Study and the Swedish National Study of Aging and Care, we find that olfactory dysfunction is closely related to processes of memory decline, dementia pathology, and mortality. Overall, the findings indicate that olfactory impairment is a valid marker of a declining brain health in old age.​”