Loss of smell may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease
嗅覺喪失可能是阿茲海默症的早期徵兆
Recent research suggests that a subtle loss of smell might be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease.
最近的研究顯示，嗅覺的細微喪失可能是阿茲海默症的早期警示訊號。
conceptAlzheimer's disease
Scientists believe this happens because toxic proteins like amyloid-beta accumulate in the olfactory bulb and entorhinal cortex, areas of the brain critical for both smell and memory, long before they affect other regions.
科學家認為這是因為澱粉樣蛋白等毒性蛋白質堆積在嗅球和內嗅皮質所致，這些大腦區域對嗅覺和記憶力至關重要，且在影響其他區域前便已受損。
conceptamyloid-beta
otherolfactory bulb
otherentorhinal cortex
While conditions like aging, viral infections, or Parkinson’s disease can also cause smell loss, clinical tools like the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) are becoming valuable for risk screening.
雖然老化、病毒感染或帕金森氏症等狀況也會導致嗅覺喪失，但像賓夕法尼亞大學嗅覺鑑定測試等臨床工具正成為風險篩查的利器。
conceptParkinson's disease
orgUniversity of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test
techUPSIT
