Projects & Grants




Olfactory sensitivity in pacients with Parkinson´s disease
Project IdSGS02/LF/2023
Main solverMgr. Eva Augste
Period1/2023 - 12/2023
ProviderSpecifický VŠ výzkum
Statefinished
AnotationParkinson's disease is a chronic progressive disease that results from degenerative loss of neurons in the pars compacta substantiae nigrae, but also loss of other nuclei of the brainstem, cortex and peripheral ganglia. Typical symptoms of this disease include motor symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity. However, in the early stages of the disease, non-motor symptoms such as disturbances of intestinal motility, depression, fatigue and others are mainly observed. The most prominent symptom is the impairment or loss of sense of smell, which can occur decades before the onset of the disease. The link between impaired or lost sense of smell and the progression of PN has already been established. The question remains, is this an olfactory impairment or a threshold shift in the ability to perceive odour intensity? The aim of the present project is to investigate whether the individuals with a documented olfactory impairment or loss are in fact just a shift in the threshold of odour intensity perception. Data from a previous project (SGS/07/LF/2021) will be used for the solution. Through this project, a database of patients with PN, controls and people at risk of developing PN, including relatives of patients with PN, was developed from which we traced the trend of olfactory loss. The Sniffin olfactory test (Identification Smell test 16 Purple, ODOFIN Burghart Sniffin'Sticks Smell test) was performed in these subjects. Now our aim is to extend the results obtained with a sensitive olfactory test allowing to assess the intensity of the odour by means of the Threshold Smell Test. The output should help to simplify, cheapen and improve the detection of individuals at risk of developing PN or individuals in the prodromal stage of PN.