Peanut Butter Aids in Diagnosing Alzheimer's!

By using peanut butter, doctors and graduate students have discovered a correlation between the brain’s olfactory and cognitive systems. It was found that patients in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s had left nostrils that were incredibly impaired compared to their right, in that the right nostril's sense of smell was far superior to that of the left. How was this discovery made? A graduate student from the University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute for Smell and Taste, Jennifer Stamps, took note on how neurological patients were not tested on their olfactory abilities. As mentioned in the article, it turns out, “The ability to smell is associated with the first cranial nerve and is often one of the first things to be affected in cognitive decline.” Peanut butter was used because it is easily and only detected by the olfactory nerve. Thus, clinical trials were made to where a ruler was placed next to a patient’s nostril (while closing the other) and a spoonful of peanut butter was held on the opposite side, moving forward a centimeter until the patient was able to smell it. As aforementioned, patients with early Alzheimer have showed, on average, a noticeable 10 cm difference in the ability to smell between the left and right nostrils, with the left nostril being weaker.

I found this article to be particularly interesting because, although this research seems to be in its early stages, it provides another method in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease so that it could be treated as soon as possible. In doing so, will help slow progression and onset of the disease, ultimately helping patients with Alzheimer’s. 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267236.php