Age and sense of smell

Olfactory sensory neurons of people aged 60 years and older react to stimuli in an unexpected way, making it difficult to identify certain odors.

As part of the study, scientists at the University of Colorado, working under the guidance of Professor Diego Restrepo, isolated live olfactory sensory neurons in 440 people, previously divided into two age groups: 45 years and younger and 60 years and older. The isolated cells were exposed to two different flavors, as well as various combinations of these flavors.

The results showed that the cells of young people react to certain odors with a high degree of selectivity, whereas the cells of elderly donors are more likely to respond equally to various olfactory stimuli. This indicates a loss of the specificity of the sense of smell, that is, the ability to distinguish odors from each other.

These data refuted the assumption made by scientists that aging weakens the response of olfactory neurons to stimuli. It turned out that in reality neurons lose the ability to differentiate odors. The authors note that this feature increases the risk of poisoning the elderly with spoiled food, as well as as a result of inhaling gas or toxic compounds.

Article by Nancy E. Rawson et al. Age-associated loss of selectivity in human olfactory sensory neurons is published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Colorado:
Scientists find elderly often lose ability to distinguish specific odors.

14.11.2011