ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2017
Olfaction Is Related to Motor Function in Older Adults.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of olfactory stimulation on postural control in adults: A systematic review.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Associations of olfactory function with brain structural and functional outcomes. A systematic review.Ageing research reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of Environmental Airborne Manganese Exposure on Cognitive and Motor Functions in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Olfactory dysfunction is associated with gait impairment in older adults: evidence for a shared amygdala substrate.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Dysfunction in Olfactory Identification and Physical Function Decline in Older Adults.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2026Article
- Olfactory decline in aging: longitudinal trajectories and associations with cognitive decline and postmortem neuropathology.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Plasma lipids connecting olfaction with cognition and physical function.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Association of Olfactory Function with Frailty in Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2025Article
- Better olfaction was associated with lower healthcare expenditure among physically independent Japanese community-dwelling older adults: the Yanai study.Frontiers in aging · 2025Article
- Cross-sectional associations between multisensory impairment and brain volumes in older adults: Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Olfaction and Mobility in Older Adults.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2024Article
- Presymptomatic Profiles of Cognitive Impairment with Prior Mobility Impairment.Journal of the American Medical Directors Association · 2024Article
- An experimental framework for conjoint measures of olfaction, navigation, and motion as pre-clinical biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports · 2024Review
- Transitions Between Mild Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, and Mortality: The Importance of Olfaction.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Article
- Could olfactory identification be a prognostic factor in detecting cognitive impairment risk in the elderly?GeroScience · 2023Article
- Associations of Olfaction With Longitudinal Trajectories of Brain Volumes and Neuropsychological Function in Older Adults.Neurology · 2023Article
- Patterns of Prevalence of Multiple Sensory Impairments Among Community-dwelling Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Article
- Olfaction and Physical Functioning in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Article
- Assessment of Self-reported Sense of Smell, Objective Testing, and Associated Factors in Middle-aged and Older Women.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2022Article
- Olfactory, Auditory, and Vestibular Performance: Multisensory Impairment Is Significantly Associated With Incident Cognitive Impairment.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAmong older adults, both olfaction and motor function predict future cognitive decline and dementia, suggesting potential shared causal pathways. However, it is not known whether olfactory and motor function are independently related in late life.
methodsWe assessed cross-sectional associations of olfaction with motor and cognitive function, using concurrent data on olfactory function, mobility, balance, fine motor function, manual dexterity, and cognition in 163 Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging participants aged 60 and older without common neurological diseases (n = 114 with available cognitive data). Using multiple linear regression, we adjusted for age, sex, race, smoking history, height, and weight for mobility and balance, and education for cognition. We used multiple linear regression to test whether olfaction-motor associations were independent of cognition and depressive symptoms.
resultsOlfactory scores were significantly associated with mobility (usual gait speed, rapid gait speed, 400-m walk time, and Health ABC Physical Performance Battery score), balance, fine motor function, and manual dexterity (all p < .05). In those with available cognitive data, additional adjustment for depressive symptoms, verbal memory, or visuoperceptual speed demonstrated especially strong independent relationships with challenging motor tasks such as 400-m walk and nondominant hand manual dexterity (p < .005).
conclusionsThis study demonstrates for the first time that, in older adults, olfactory function is associated with mobility, balance, fine motor function, and manual dexterity, and independent of cognitive function, with challenging upper and lower extremity motor function tasks. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine if olfactory performance predicts future mobility and functional decline.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.