Grant: Project Grant

Parkinson's Disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. To date, no curative therapy is available. This is due to the fact that Parkinson's is diagnosed when motor symptoms become evident, which is the case only when the majority of affected neurons is degenerated. We therefore need methods to detect the disease in early, subclinical stages. One candidate for this is olfactory testing, as olfactory function is heavily affected in Parkinson's and precedes motor symptoms by 10-15 years. However, olfactory dysfunction is relatively unspecific as it affects also up to 20% of the general population. We have shown that assessing the trigeminal system may provide a tool to distinguish Parkinsonian olfactory dysfunction from other forms. The trigeminal system allows for the perception of the burning sensation caused by capsaicin or the cooling sensation caused by menthol. Our project comprises a series of studies to develop a clinically useful tool based on the combined assessment of olfactory and trigeminal function.