A study about the frequency of taste disorders

Although 5% of the general population exhibit a functional anosmia, little is known about the frequency of gustatory disorders. Whenever taste function has been tested within large sociodemographic studies, so far only short test versions were applied making the interpretation difficult. Using two psychophysical taste tests, the validated "taste strips” and suprathreshold taste solutions of the four basic tastes sweet, sour, salty and bitter we investigated 761 healthy subjects within the age range of 5-89years. Prior to testing, all subjects rated their taste function. According to testing with the taste strips, 5.3% scored below the result considered as hypogeusia. All four taste sprays were correctly identified by 82.3% of all subjects. Results of the two taste tests correlated positively (r=0.33, p<0.001), and there was a significant negative correlation between age and test results. However, we never observed complete ageusia. Misinterpretations of tastes were surprisingly common. In summary, hypogeusia was present in 5% while complete ageusia seems to be very rare, in contrast to misinterpretations of taste

Patient adjustment to reduced olfactory function

To compare the importance of olfaction in daily life between patients with olfactory disorders and healthy normosmic individuals

Impact of chemotherapy for childhood leukemia on brain morphology and function.

OBJECTIVE: Using multidisciplinary treatment modalities the majority of children with cancer can be cured but we are increasingly faced with therapy-related toxicities. We studied brain morphology and neurocognitive functions in adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood acute, low and standard risk lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which was successfully treated with chemotherapy. We expected that intravenous and intrathecal chemotherapy administered in childhood will affect grey matter structures, including hippocampus and olfactory bulbs, areas where postnatal neurogenesis is ongoing. METHODS: We examined 27 ALL-survivors and 27 age-matched healthy controls, ages 15-22 years. ALL-survivors developed disease prior to their 11th birthday without central nervous system involvement, were treated with intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy and received no radiation. Volumes of grey, white matter and olfactory bulbs were measured on T1 and T2 magnetic resonance images manually, using FIRST (FMRIB's integrated Registration and Segmentation Tool) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Memory, executive functions, attention, intelligence and olfaction were assessed. RESULTS: Mean volumes of left hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and nucleus accumbens were smaller in the ALL group. VBM analysis revealed significantly smaller volumes of the left calcarine gyrus, both lingual gyri and the left precuneus. DTI data analysis provided no evidence for white matter pathology. Lower scores in hippocampus-dependent memory were measured in ALL-subjects, while lower figural memory correlated with smaller hippocampal volumes. INTERPRETATION: Findings demonstrate that childhood ALL, treated with chemotherapy, is associated with smaller grey matter volumes of neocortical and subcortical grey matter and lower hippocampal memory performance in adolescence and adulthood

Olfactory bulb volumes.

*<p>two-tailed = 0.179.</p

Results from olfactory function tests.

*<p>two-tailed.</p

Demographics of ALL-survivors and non-exposed, healthy controls (N/A = non applicable, SD = standard deviation).

<p>Demographics of ALL-survivors and non-exposed, healthy controls (N/A = non applicable, SD = standard deviation).</p

Results of neuropsychological testing.

<p><i>Note.</i> CFT 20-R = Culture Fair Intelligence Test 20-R. CPT = Continous Performance Test. LGT-3 = German learning and memory test “Lern- und Gedächtnistest”.</p

Smaller volumes of subcortical structures in ALL-subjects compared to controls as revealed by FIRST analysis.

*<p>two-tailed.</p>*<p>P<0.05 two-tailed.</p

Brain areas which demonstrated decreased volume based on VBM analysis.

<p>Local maxima (MNI) correspond to slices depicted. <i>P</i> uncorrected <0.001, cluster size >20 voxels; expected false discovery rate: <i>P</i><0.02.</p