The Brain&Senses Study

The aim of this longitudinal observational study is to evaluate the impact of sensory deficits (smell, hearing and balance on cognitive decline and quality of life in the medium term (5 years)) on a population of patients over 55. Patients will be evaluated by a neurologist, a neuropsychologist and an otolaryngologist who will perform olfactory, auditory and vestibular tests. The acquired data will then be analyzed with multivariate analysis to understand the effect of multisensory deficit on both cognition and quality of life with a particular focus on depression. The primary objective will be the evaluation of multiple deficits on cognition, the secondary will be aimed at understanding whether one sensory deficit more than another, e.g. smell versus hearing, will have a greater impact on the patient's conditions.

Evaluation protocol Enrollment phase: the subjects will be recruited through recruitment at the Department of Neurology of the Fano hospital and the various associations supporting patients with cognitive impairment in the area. The subjects who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the cohort will be contacted and invited for the ENT evaluations that will be carried out in the Department of Otolaryngology of the FANO hospital. Inclusion criteria: patients between 60 and 85 years of age, in general good health, in the absence of known severe psychiatric disorders, available to be included in the study and to follow the 5-year follow-up. Exclusion criteria: Obstructive nasal problems, Previous endoscopic nose + paranasal sinus surgery, Chronic use of cortisone spray and/or systemic, Subjects with previous stroke and outcomes, Subjects with history of stroke in the last 3 years without outcomes, Head trauma in the last 24 months, Previous ear surgery, Patients who have been exposed to chemical agents without protection for work, e.g. carpenters and previous Covid with outcomes (olfactory, vestibular, auditory and cognitive "brain fog") Neurology Total evaluation time 20-30 minutes All patients will be clinically evaluated in neurology; specifically, vertical gaze and archaic reflexes (muzzle and palm-chin) will be evaluated. From a laboratory point of view, blood count with formula, AST, ALT, Sodium and Potassium, creatinine, TSH, dosage of Vitamin B12 and folates will be performed. NeuroPsychology Total evaluation time 35-65 minutes Patients will be subjected to the standard battery of neuropsychological tests which includes the MMSE, MoCA, working and short memory tests. The duration of the psychological tests may vary based on the patient's conditions. NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY The subjects of the study were administered a neuropsychological battery consisting of the following tests Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Folstein et al., 1975; Magni et al., 1996): is an 11-item screening test that assesses the level of basic cognitive functioning. This test consists of 11 domains that assess: * Temporal Orientation; * Spatial Orientation; * Mnemonic Recall of 3 items; * Attention and Calculation; * Recall of the 3 items mentioned in the previous exercise; * Language and Practice. The test score ranges from 0 to 30 and the points obtained in each item are added together. The raw score obtained is corrected for the participant's level of education and age. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (Nasreddine et al., 2005; Conti et al., 2015): This is a test consisting of several trials with a total of 30 items. The short-term memory task (5 items) consists of two learning trials with five names and a delayed recall after about 5 minutes. Visual-spatial ability is assessed with a clock drawing task (3 points) and a copy of a three-dimensional cube (1 point). Several aspects of executive function are assessed with a Trail Making B Покажи пълното описание...

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients between 60 and 85 years of age * in general good health * the absence of known severe psychiatric disorders * available to be included in the study and * to follow the 5-year follow-up. Exclusion Criteria: * Obstructive nasal problems * Previous endoscopic nose + paranasal sinus surgery * Chronic use of cortisone spray and/or systemic * Subjects with previous stroke and outcomes * Subjects with history of stroke in the last 3 years without outcomes * Head trauma in the last 24 months * Previous ear surgery * Patients who have been exposed to chemical agents without protection for work, e.g. carpenters * previous Covid with outcomes (olfactory, vestibular, auditory and cognitive "brain fog")