Olfactory
Identification and Incidence of Mild
Cognitive Impairment
In
Older
Age :
Difficulty
Identifying Odors May Predict Cognitive Decline
02
Jul 2007 :
Des
troubles de l'odorat pour prévenir la maladie d'Alzheimer 31 Oct 2007 :
Articles as this one about loss of smell problems among elderlies are
frequent on the Web since several years. But this year there were two
about the exact subject of olfaction and Alzheimer's and it is very
desirable. Subject which have been profusely published by newspapers
and tabloids although often they satisfy themselves with simple cut
& paste from agencies as Reuter or AFP or at the best they
reformulate one or two sentences in order to justify their signature
without most of the time nor even the least enrichment but the honor of
the publication.
But these times, thanks to hectic Sarkosian agenda we are in the
endless source of subjects for the multitude exploiting the vein of
Alzheimer's boomers. But no! I do not complain: this is a good occasion
to stimulate researchers and discoverers.
This is normal and a good thing. I just want to moderate the enthusiasm
about the closeness of tremendous solutions. There will be partial
solving of the problems. Maybe this is question of weeks, months, years
or decades, maybe much more. Enthusiasm is good: better be optimist and
look forward hopefully. Maybe the enthusiasm is somewhat to much. And
this is very bad. Surge of flourishing imagination might just be a
manic prelude to despair and depression. There is certainly a large
expectation concomitant with the flood of neo-retired of whom I am. A
waiting from those who see the pending threat on them and from their
children inheriting this dreadful charge for their mature age.
I have a personal reason to object to this enthusiasm which is also a
good opportunity to be blind or leaving aside pieces of the reality.
And this reason is that it almost happened to me to be the victim of
the medical well-thinking about this matter of Mild Cognitive
Impairment. And to return to this two 2007 texts and the well-thinking
about Alzheimer's I do not deny a certain value to these studies. They
describe a lot of the truth of Alzheimer's. But there is something they
have not seen and it is about the olfactory function, the very half of
the subject of their study. They consider olfaction and its troubles as
well known and neither are. They speak about olfaction as if it was a
territory fully understood where specialists of the matter are not at
all so convinced to just be near an answer. It is true that these
specialists are very restrained as to the modesty of what they know
about olfaction and even more about anosmia and particularly dysosmia.
But they say that, all of them, here or there. Why is this restraint?
Probably to protect their courage and energy for their work in
progress, they point up what they know which is very much less than
what they dont know. They very rarely or incidentally say that
"precious little is well-understood." It is too upsetting! even after
Axel and Buck. But it is nonetheless the case. Some splendid
discoveries seam near an achieving state, uncoverings after huge works
done and huge perspectives. But we are yet very far from the global and
detailed understanding of the olfactory system and to a further more
distant point of the comprehension of olfactory distortions : Pierre
Bonfils.
Amazing things are shown about pig and drosophila (Valéry Matarazzo) and other rodents (Institut Pasteur) and
mammals, fish,
underwater olfaction of the
Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata). Frogs too!
Back to my story. It will illustrate what I try to say. It is a fecund
story elements of which can be reached from several paths with
cascading surprises. There is the chronology then the comprehension
which is perplexing, then diverse implications. Then the reflection
about the phenomenon of this surprise which is in its turn surprising.
I enter into my sixty-first year and I soon realize I have lost my
sense of smell. Simple, neat observation, nothing left. The full loss,
nothing smells anymore. Neither have I an odor neither any odorant
secretion neither any one has, neither any usual garbage neither any
square feet of excretion has a smell, that a patient of the hospital
spreads some three times a night, floor and walls all the same, neither
this other's vomit, neither the smoke den of some hopelessly
intoxicated colleague, neither the bakery flavor which enthralled four
street corners between the hospital and my home, neither lentils that
are my favorite treat have the least flavor, neither the basmathi nor
the ginger nor the most furious Munster cheese have the merest smell
even if they burn my mouth. All is lost. And my mate has no more odor,
no more perfume, nothing but a totally aseptic body, radically
deodorized. Ghastly! And as I just emerged some weeks ago from an
unending period of depression, I realize I am ready to take the plunge
again. And there am I lamentably, my sweetie gone, weeping in my
an-aromatic plate and on my dreary bread. This daily ghastliness went
on for the two next years. (note about this clumsy use of the neither
good nor the bad construction or The better one: leave a message rater
than a snap)
Faster
now! I have already
spoken about the return of my sense of smell after these two years and
the circumstances of the discovery of the toxic of my anosmia, soy.
But the first thought I had, faced with this loss, even if it was not
as dreadful as would have been sight loss, was to fall back to the
resource of these times : web search engines.
And the first thing found and which was not eccentric, for about
anosmia, how many twaddles and lousy lucumbrations among rare valuable
lights, the first findings was the prominent link between Alzheimer's
and smell disorders (sixtyish problems!), links supported by some truly
genuine studies and not only
outrageously
mercantile and sensationalistic as in the ancient home of "ScentSational
Hirsch".
I had a good reason at this stage of my life to fear, with theses
informations, I was snarling a very bad bundle of neurons. And as I
knew I shall just find at the best a researcher or one of his "and al"
and who for the better will add my case to the list of his bunch of
elderly olfactory impaired; and that they will not find much unless a
miraculous chance anything in term of cure, my complacency to their
protocols would not even bring me any snippet of their findings. (add
there a rant apropos greedy scientific editors and scientific
publishing (not to be confounded with scientists of course!))
Such pregnant reasons to be ready for the worst, these year 2007
researchers would not have but add to my failing hope. And for all
oldish anosmic who have not as I have found or acknowledge the nature
or the source of their olfactory distress this dread, this anguish of
those "precursors signs which should be anosmia of future Alzheimer's,
this anguish, this angst is their present. And their future. Ask them!
And ask yourself each time you have a loss of memory. You know very
well you think Alzheimer's even if you are not even fifty.
I am absolutely furious and shall not let fall my wrath. Something is
very wrong. This is a farcical and sinister bell and this death knell
is unjustifiable or is it justified only by a defective or degenerate
science private property of Cupidity, Arrogance and Conceit.
Pierre Bonfils has this conclusion at the end of the bigger study about
dysosmia: "Research on humans with parosmia is practically nonexistent.
The terms used to describe olfactory distortion are often confusing,
and the physiopathological basis of this symptom remains unknown. The
patients with parosmia presented herein represent the first large
series in the literature, to our knowledge, and permit a clinical
description of this rare olfactory abnormality." Pierre Bonfils est un
honnête homme.
Olivier Lichtenberger 2007/11/06
...more
about the star-nosed mole:
http://snipurl.com/condylura_cristata
http://www.ceaeq.gouv.qc.ca/ecotoxicologie/mammifere/Condylure.pdf
http://snipurl.com/underwater_olfaction
http://snipurl.com/underwater_sniffing
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