HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Markopoulou, K. Articles by Wszolek, Z. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Markopoulou, K. Articles by Wszolek, Z. K.

Olfactory dysfunction in familial parkinsonism

From the Section of Neurology (Drs. Markopoulou, Wszolek, Denson, and Wszolek, and K.W. Larsen), University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, the Department of Neurology (Dr. Lang), The Toronto Hospital, Western Division, Ontario, Canada; and the Department of Neurology (Dr. Pfeiffer), University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Wszolek, Section of Neurology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-2045.

Impaired olfactory function is commonly observed in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). However, it is unknown whether it is also found in familial parkinsonism. To address this issue we administered a smell test to 12 affected, three monosymptomatic, and 12 at-risk individuals from six large parkinsonian kindreds. Three kindreds exhibited an IPD phenotype and three exhibited a parkinsonism-plus syndrome (PPS) phenotype. All but one of the affected individuals had impaired olfactory function. In contrast, only five of the 12 at-risk individuals had impaired olfactory function. The degree of olfactory impairment in the at-risk individuals was less severe than in the affected individuals. The difference in the degree of olfactory impairment in individuals exhibiting the IPD and the PPS phenotypes was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that olfactory dysfunction is a phenotypic characteristic of familial parkinsonism and that it is independent of the kindred phenotype. The appearance of olfactory dysfunction soon after disease onset raises the possibility that it is part of the neurodegenerative disease process.

Received February 1, 1997. Accepted in final form June 10, 1997.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Tolosa, C. Gaig, J. Santamaria, and Y. Compta Diagnosis and the premotor phase of Parkinson disease Neurology, February 17, 2009; 72(7_Supplement_2): S12 - S20. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Silveira-Moriyama, L. C. Guedes, A. Kingsbury, H. Ayling, K. Shaw, E. R. Barbosa, V. Bonifati, N. P. Quinn, P. Abou-Sleiman, N. W. Wood, et al. Hyposmia in G2019S LRRK2-related parkinsonism: Clinical and pathologic data Neurology, September 23, 2008; 71(13): 1021 - 1026. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Siderowf, A. Newberg, K. L. Chou, M. Lloyd, A. Colcher, H. I. Hurtig, M. B. Stern, R. L. Doty, P. D. Mozley, N. Wintering, et al. [99mTc]TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging correlates with odor identification in early Parkinson disease Neurology, May 24, 2005; 64(10): 1716 - 1720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Stiasny-Kolster, Y. Doerr, J. C. Moller, H. Hoffken, T. M. Behr, W. H. Oertel, and G. Mayer Combination of 'idiopathic' REM sleep behaviour disorder and olfactory dysfunction as possible indicator for {alpha}-synucleinopathy demonstrated by dopamine transporter FP-CIT-SPECT Brain, January 1, 2005; 128(1): 126 - 137. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Furtado, M. Farrer, Y. Tsuboi, M. L. Klimek, R. de la Fuente-Fernandez, J. Hussey, P. Lockhart, D. B. Calne, O. Suchowersky, A. J. Stoessl, et al. SCA-2 presenting as parkinsonism in an Alberta family: Clinical, genetic, and PET findings Neurology, November 26, 2002; 59(10): 1625 - 1627. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]