People with Increased Genetic Risk of Alzheimer’s May Lose Sense of Smell First

People who carry the gene variant associated with the strongest risk for Alzheimer’s disease may lose their ability to detect odors earlier than people who do not carry the gene variant, which may be an early sign of future memory and thinking problems, according to a study published in the July 26, 2023, online issue of Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The gene variant associated with this increased risk of Alzheimer’s is called APOE ε4. The article is titled “Association of APOE ε4 Status with Long-term Declines in Odor Sensitivity, Odor Identification, and Cognition in Older US Adults.”