Olfactory hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer’s disease; dementia; depression; hallucinations; psychiatric disorders; Aged; Alzheimer Disease/complications; Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis; Alzheimer Disease/psychology; Depression/complications; Depression/epidemiology; Depression/psychology; Female; Hallucinations/epidemiology; Hallucinations/etiology; Humans; Male; Mental Status and Dementia Tests/standards; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/standards; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry and Mental Health; Biological Psychiatry

Abstract :

[en] We assessed the frequency, duration, and degree of unpleasantness of olfactory hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Informants of 31 AD patients were invited to rate the frequency, duration, and degree of unpleasantness of olfactory, auditory, and visual hallucinations. Analysis demonstrated little occurrence of olfactory hallucinations compared with auditory or visual hallucinations. Results also demonstrated that olfactory hallucinations span from a few seconds to one minute, a duration that was similar to that of auditory and visual hallucinations. Olfactory hallucinations were rated as unpleasant compared with auditory or visual hallucinations. Finally, olfactory hallucinations were significantly correlated with depression. Our findings demonstrate little occurrence of olfactory hallucinations but that when they occur, they are experienced as relatively unpleasant in AD patients. Our findings also demonstrate a relationship between olfactory hallucinations and psychiatric characteristics (i.e., depression) in AD.

Disciplines :

Neurosciences & behavior

Author, co-author :

El Haj, Mohamad ; Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL - EA 4638), F-44000Nantes, France ; Unité de Gériatrie, Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France ; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France

Laroi, Frank ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Psychologie et Neuroscience Cognitives (PsyNCog) ; Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway ; Norwegian Center of Excellence for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Language :

English

Title :

Olfactory hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease.

Publication date :

February 2021

Journal title :

Acta Neuropsychiatrica

ISSN :

0924-2708

eISSN :

1601-5215

Publisher :

Cambridge University Press, England

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

37-42

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0924270820000332

Available on ORBi :

since 30 May 2022

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