Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28038387›Full record

ArticleEpilepsy & behavior : E&B2017

On the nose: Olfactory disturbances in patients with transient epileptic amnesia.

Sharon A Savage, Christopher R Butler, Fraser Milton, Yang Han, Adam Z Zeman

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Olfactory function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2021
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
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  8. The evolution of accelerated long-term forgetting: Evidence from the TIME study.Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior · 2019
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Sharon A SavageCognitive & Behavioural Neurology, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, St Luke's Campus, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. Electronic address: s.a.savage@exeter.ac.uk.
Christopher R ButlerNuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, OX3 9DU, UK.
Fraser MiltonDiscipline of Psychology, University of Exeter, Washington Singer Laboratories, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK.
Yang HanHealth Statistics, University of Exeter Medical School, South Cloisters, St Luke's Campus, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK.
Adam Z ZemanCognitive & Behavioural Neurology, University of Exeter Medical School, College House, St Luke's Campus, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK.
University of Exeter · GBJohn Radcliffe Hospital · GBSinger (United States) · US

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/K010395/1The Dunhill Medical Trust R322/1113
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWhile olfactory hallucinations are relatively rare in epilepsy, a high prevalence (up to 42%) has been reported in one form - Transient Epileptic Amnesia (TEA). TEA is characterized by recurring amnestic seizures and is commonly associated with persistent interictal memory deficits. Despite reports of changes in smell, olfactory ability has not been objectively assessed in this group. The aim of this study was to measure olfactory ability in patients with TEA and explore whether olfactory symptoms relate to other clinical variables.

methodsFifty-five participants with TEA were recruited from The Impairment of Memory in Epilepsy project database. The presence of olfactory symptoms was obtained via case notes and clinical interview. Participants completed questionnaires to evaluate their olfaction and memory function subjectively. Olfactory ability was measured using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). TEA participants' performance was compared to 50 matched healthy control participants. A subset of TEA participants (n=26) also completed a battery of memory tests including standard neuropsychological measures, and assessment of accelerated long-term forgetting and autobiographical memory.

resultsOlfactory hallucinations were reported in 55% of patients with TEA. A significant reduction in smell identification (UPSIT) was found between patients with TEA and healthy controls (p<0.001). Epilepsy variables, including history of olfactory hallucinations, were not predictive of olfactory ability. Patients reported ongoing memory difficulties and performed below normative values on objective tests. While no correlation was found between objective measures of memory and olfactory performance, subjective complaints of route finding difficulty was associated with UPSIT score.

conclusionsImpairments in odor identification are common in patients with TEA and exceed changes that occur in normal aging. Olfactory hallucinations occurs in approximately half of patients with TEA, but do not always coincide with reduced sense of smell. Olfactory impairment and interictal memory problems both occur frequently in TEA but are not closely associated.

Indexed as

SmellAdultAgedAmnesiaCohort StudiesEpilepsyFemaleHallucinationsHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsNoseOlfaction DisordersRetrospective StudiesEpilepsyMemoryOlfactionTransient epileptic amnesia

Identifiers

PMID28038387
PMCPMC6197428
OpenAlexW2565553194

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.