title: [Olfactory function in patients with Alzheimer' disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the relationship between olfactory bulb (OB) volume, depth of olfactory sulcus (OS) and olfactory function in patients with Alzheimer' disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with AD patients and 50 healthy subjects were examined by olfactory function T&T testing, OB volume and depth of OS assessed with Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  T&T olfactory testing revealed that AD patients had higher scores than control group (1.50 ± 0.17, 2.80 ± 0.31, P < 0.05). Bilateral and average OB volumes were smaller in AD group [(29.78 ± 5.17) mm3, (30.14 ± 4.87)mm3, (30.05 ± 5.08) mm3] than in control group [(36.65 ± 4.08)mm3, (36.56 ± 4.12)mm3, (36.46 ± 4.11)mm3] (P < 0.01). OS depth study revealed no statistical difference between AD patients and control groups (P > 0.05). Olfactory discriminate threshold was negatively correlated with average olfactory bulb volumes (r = -0. 711, P < 0.05), and was not correlated with depth of OS (r = -0.127, P > 0.05) in AD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The OB volume were lower in AD patients as compare to controls, the depth of OS has no significant changes in AD patients; The OB volume is correlated with olfactory function, the depth of OS is no correlated with olfactory function. Cognitive impairment degree in AD patients is accordance with the lower degree olfactory function. The olfactory loss may be the earlier period and objective diagnosis indicator for AD patients.
authors.forename: Huanxin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hang
authors.forename: Jinling
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000033:anatomy & histology