Correlation between Olfactory Function and Other Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurodegenerative Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2021) | Viewed by 8979

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder traditionally characterized by motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor. However, PD is usually associated with non-motor symptoms (NMS) that may include olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions, neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive impairment, and sleep and autonomic disorders. These NMSs determine a significant negative impact in PD patient’s quality of life and could play a key role in the evaluation of the disease progression and the assessment of patients’ quality of life. In particular, the olfactory dysfunction is considered the most common NMS in PD since it is reported in over 96% of patients, often preceding the appearance of clinical motor symptoms. Previous studies indicated that olfactory dysfunction could commonly lead to daily life problems in eating, food intake, and social relationships. Moreover, olfactory function and emotion may share common neural pathways involving the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and the mesolimbic dopamine system.

The aim of this specific topic is to correlate olfactory dysfunction to other NMSs in PD to evaluate the progression of motor and non-motor symptoms and the quality of life in PD patients during the disease progression.

Dr. Carla Masala
Dr. Paolo Solla
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Olfaction dysfunction
  • Cognitive disability
  • Apathy
  • Fatigue
  • Sleep problems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1066 KiB  
Article
Pomegranate Juice Ameliorates Dopamine Release and Behavioral Deficits in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease
by Małgorzata Kujawska, Michael Jourdes, Łukasz Witucki, Marta Karaźniewicz-Łada, Michał Szulc, Agata Górska, Przemysław Ł. Mikołajczak, Pierre-Louis Teissedre and Jadwiga Jodynis-Liebert
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1127; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11091127 - 25 Aug 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5124
Abstract
Pomegranate juice (PJ) is a rich source of ellagitannins (ETs), precursors of colonic metabolite urolithin A, which are believed to contribute to pomegranate’s neuroprotective effect. While many experimental studies involving PJ’s role in Alzheimer’s disease and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury have been conducted, our [...] Read more.
Pomegranate juice (PJ) is a rich source of ellagitannins (ETs), precursors of colonic metabolite urolithin A, which are believed to contribute to pomegranate’s neuroprotective effect. While many experimental studies involving PJ’s role in Alzheimer’s disease and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury have been conducted, our knowledge of pomegranate’s effects against Parkinson’s disease (PD) is very limited. Previously, we have reported that PJ treatment improved postural stability, which correlated well with enhancement of neuronal survival, protection against oxidative damage, and α-synuclein aggregation. Since olfactory and motor deficits are typical symptoms of PD, in this study, we aimed to investigate the capability of PJ to protect against olfactory, motoric, and neurochemical alterations. To evaluate its efficiency, Wistar rats were given a combined treatment with ROT (1.3 mg/kg b.w./day, s.c.) and PJ (500 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 35 days. After this, we assessed the olfactory discrimination index (DI) and vertical and horizontal activities as well as levels of dopamine and its main metabolite 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the dissected midbrain of animals. Our findings provide the first evidence that PJ treatment protects against ROT-induced DA depletion in the midbrain, which correlates well with improved olfactory function and vertical activity as well as with the presence of urolithin A in the brain. Full article
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8 pages, 249 KiB  
Article
Frequency and Determinants of Olfactory Hallucinations in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
by Paolo Solla, Carla Masala, Ilenia Pinna, Tommaso Ercoli, Francesco Loy, Gianni Orofino, Laura Fadda and Giovanni Defazio
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(7), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070841 - 24 Jun 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3103
Abstract
Background: Olfactory dysfunctions and hallucinations are considered common nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Visual and auditory hallucinations are well-known; however, olfactory hallucinations (OHs) are not fully investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate OHs in PD patients, and their correlation [...] Read more.
Background: Olfactory dysfunctions and hallucinations are considered common nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Visual and auditory hallucinations are well-known; however, olfactory hallucinations (OHs) are not fully investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate OHs in PD patients, and their correlation to motor impairment, cognitive abilities, visual and auditory hallucinations, and olfactory and gustatory function. Methods: A sample of 273 patients was enrolled: 141 PD patients (mean age ± SD: 70.1 ± 9.5 years) and 132 healthy controls (mean age ± SD: 69.4 ± 9.6 years). In all patients, the following parameters were evaluated: motor symptoms (UPDRS-III), olfactory function, cognitive abilities, and occurrence of OH, gustatory hallucinations (GHs), and visual/auditory hallucinations. Results: OHs were found only in PD patients with a percentage of 11.3%. Among PD patients with OHs, 2.8% also presented GHs. High significant frequencies of females, the presence of visual/auditory hallucinations, and a high mean UPDRS-III score were found in patients with OHs related to patients without them. Binary logistic regression evidenced the presence of visual/auditory hallucinations and sex as main variables predicting the presence of OHs. Conclusions: Our data indicated that OHs occur frequently in PD patients, especially in women, and often concomitant with visual and auditory hallucinations, without any association with olfactory impairment. Full article
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