Loss of the sense of smell or taste is often a sign of neurological disease. Evaluating chemosensation (the senses of smell and taste) during neurological examination can help early detection of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The importance of such testing is now receiving increasingly high profile in the medical curriculum. In this book, olfactory conditions are completely updated and the sense of taste is now included in similar detail. It is written by experts in the field, covering anatomy and physiology of human olfaction and taste, how they can be measured and their relevance to a wide range of major disorders such as diabetes, kidney disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The 'Olfactory Vector Hypothesis' that suggests a neuropathogen may enter the nose en route to the brain is evaluated in detail. This introduction to smell and taste disorders is an essential guide for neurologists, neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists, medical trainees, and chemosensory scientists.

Testing the sense of smell is often omitted or trivialized during neurological examination. This comprehensive review will address this shortcoming by emphasizing the significance of this important sensory modality. The Neurology of Olfaction describes the anatomy and physiology of human olfaction and how it may be measured. The book covers neurologic disorders in depth and a comprehensive chapter is devoted to neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, where loss of smell is frequent and may be an early preclinical feature that could predict the onset of disease in asymptomatic subjects. Finally, the authors describe methods of treatment for anosmia, evaluate its medicolegal importance, and give guidance for those unfortunate enough to have lost their sense of smell. Written by two experts in the field, this book provides information useful to physicians for assessing and managing chemosensory disorders and summarizes the current scientific knowledge of human olfaction.