Odor threshold differs for some but not all odorants between older and younger adults

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Olfactory function deteriorates with age, and definitive mechanisms by which this decline occurs are likely multifactorial. The present study, conducted on a large cohort of healthy participants, aimed to investigate whether odor thresholds would differ for variable odors with different physico-chemical (e.g., heavy vs light weight molecules) and perceptual characteristics.

METHOD: In 81 participants (51% ≥ 50 years old), we assessed odor threshold in two sessions.

RESULTS: Linear Mixed Model analyses revealed that odor thresholds in younger and older adults changed with different odor conditions, presumably due to the common exposition to some of the odors, their trigeminality, and lipophilicity. This effect was observed for piperine, eucalyptol, 2-nonanone, gamma-valerolactone and pinene alpha, but not for the other 15 odorants studied. Furthermore, suprathreshold perception, i.e., intensity and, to some extent, irritation, contributed independently to sensorial odor threshold, the later ones particularly in older adults. We also found that the molecular weight of the odorants did not add to their threshold by, respectively, younger and older adults.

DISCUSSION: To conclude, the present findings are in line with previous studies showing that the age-related change of chemosensory abilities is a multifaceted phenomenon, which does not affect all odorants.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1025-1035
Number of pages11
JournalThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
Volume78
Issue number6
Early online date2 Feb 2023
Publication statusPublished - 26 May 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

WOS 000951830200001
unpaywall 10.1093/geronb/gbad019
Scopus 85160455227
ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/146645428

Keywords

Keywords

  • Aging, Olfaction, Suprathreshold, Eucalyptol, Odorants/analysis, Sensory Thresholds, Humans, Aged, Smell