Olfactory neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease: a sign of ongoing neurodegeneration

Gowoon Son, Ali Jahanshahi, Seung Jun Yoo, Jackson T. Boonstra, David A. Hopkins, Harry W.M. Steinbusch, Cheil Moon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Olfactory neuropathology is a cause of olfactory loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Olfactory dysfunction is also associated with memory and cognitive dysfunction and is an incidental finding of AD dementia. Here we review neuropathological research on the olfactory system in AD, considering both structural and functional evidence. Experimental and clinical findings identify olfactory dysfunction as an early indicator of AD. In keeping with this, amyloid-β production and neuroinflammation are related to underlying causes of impaired olfaction. Notably, physiological features of the spatial map in the olfactory system suggest the evidence of ongoing neurodegeneration. Our aim in this review is to examine olfactory pathology findings essential to identifying mechanisms of olfactory dysfunction in the development of AD in hopes of supporting investigations leading towards revealing potential diagnostic methods and causes of early pathogenesis in the olfactory system. [BMB Reports 2021; 54(6): 295-304]

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)295-304
Number of pages10
JournalBMB Reports
Volume54
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (HI18C0154) and Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2020R1A6A1A 03040516). The funding sources had no such involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Current address: Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics, Frankfurt 60438, Germany. All Rights Reserved.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Review

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