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Influences of Aging on Human Olfactory Function

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The Human Sense of Smell

Abstract

The ability to smell, like other primary sensory abilities, diminishes as we grow older. Olfactory decrements are especially prominent in the elderly. Indeed, over three-fourths of individuals 80 years of age and older are anosmic or nearly anosmic, and over one half of those between the ages of 65 and 80 years are similarly deficient (Doty et al. 1984b). Such a decline may be universal, as it appears to occur in persons from all walks of life and in all cultures (Gilbert and Wysocki 1987).

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Authors
  1. Richard L Doty
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Sensory Research Center, P.O. Box 52, 2113, North Ryde, NSW, Australia

    David G. Laing

  2. Smell and Taste Center School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Richard L. Doty

  3. Department of Anatomy, University of Queensland, 4067, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Winrich Breipohl

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© 1991 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Doty, R.L. (1991). Influences of Aging on Human Olfactory Function. In: Laing, D.G., Doty, R.L., Breipohl, W. (eds) The Human Sense of Smell. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76223-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76223-9_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-76225-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-76223-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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