Relationship Between Apolipoprotein E Type-4 and Olfactory Deficits: Indicating the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease and form of dementia that leads to cognitive and behavioral deficits in an individual. Previous studies by Mesholam et al. (1998) and Wilson et al. (2009), among others, have primarily focused on the presence of olfactory deficits as indication of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Further studies by Arendt et al. (1997) separately connected the Apolipoprotein E type-4 allele and its expression to the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease. This literature-based review seeks to connect the literature and demonstrate that Apolipoprotein E type- 4 expression combined with deficits in olfactory functioning will provide a reliable indication of the eventual onset of Alzheimer’s disease. This research can help direct future efforts of finding preventive solutions to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.