Relationship between odor perception and depression in the Japanese elderly |
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| Authors: | SHINJI SATOH MD NOBUAKI MORITA MD ICHIYOU MATSUZAKI MD TAKAKO KONISHI MD TAKASHI NAKANO MD SEIKO MINOSHITA HIROKO ARIZONO SACHIKO SAITO PHD SAHO AYABE |
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| Institution: | Institute ofCommunity Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba;Department of Criminal Psychiatry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo;Department of Psychiatry, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi;National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology;Institute of Psychology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Abstract Odor perception has been studied in patients with various mental disorders; however, no consensus has been reached as to its detection, identification, or pleasantness/unpleasantness of odors especially in patients with depression. One hundred and nineteen normal elderly individuals living at home were exposed to odors of rose, perfume, white ginger, Indian ink, cigarette smoke, milk, feces and orange scent using the scratch and sniff method. They were asked to rate the strength of each odor, its pleasantness or unpleasantness, their liking for it, and their familiarity with it. They were also asked to complete a self-rating depression scale (SDS). The relationship of the score of each psychological olfactory scale with the SDS score and the difference in the score of each psychological scale between high-SDS and low-SDS groups are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | depression elderly odor olfaction |
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