Geriatric Neuroscience Center, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2024 Oct;24(10):1022-1029. doi: 10.1111/ggi.14968. Epub 2024 Sep 12.
Chemosensory anhedonia refers to the lack of hedonic ability to experience pleasure through the senses of smell and taste, which reduces the pleasure and comfort of food, and increases the risk of nutritional and immune deficiencies. However, there is no direct scientific evidence regarding chemosensory anhedonia in patients with late-life depression (LLD). The aim of this study was to investigate chemosensory anhedonia in patients with LLD, and its potential association with depressive symptoms and cognitive function.
A total of 114 patients with LLD and 92 normal controls were included in this study. They experienced clinical assessment, Chemosensory Pleasure Scale assessment, 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale assessment and cognitive assessments, which contain the Verbal Fluency Test. The associations between chemosensory pleasure and depressive symptoms or cognitive function in patients with LLD were explored using partial correlation analysis and mediation analysis.
The Chemosensory Pleasure Scale scores were lower in the LLD group than in the normal control group, and were negatively correlated with the total scores and factors' scores (retardation, cognitive bias and anxiety/somatization) of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and positively correlated with the Verbal Fluency Test scores. The scores for the Food and Imagination dimensions of the Chemosensory Pleasure Scale showed partial mediating effects on the differences in Cognitive bias (a factor of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) between patients with LLD and normal controls.
Patients with LLD showed significant chemosensory anhedonia, and both depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment were associated with the severity of chemosensory anhedonia. Enhancing chemosensory pleasure in patients with LLD could potentially ameliorate their depressive symptoms. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 1022-1029.
嗅觉和味觉的快感缺失是指缺乏通过嗅觉和味觉体验愉悦的能力，这降低了食物的愉悦感和舒适度，增加了营养和免疫缺陷的风险。然而，在老年抑郁症（LLD）患者中，没有关于嗅觉快感缺失的直接科学证据。本研究旨在调查 LLD 患者的嗅觉快感缺失及其与抑郁症状和认知功能的潜在关联。
本研究共纳入 114 例 LLD 患者和 92 名正常对照者。他们接受了临床评估、嗅觉快感量表评估、17 项汉密尔顿抑郁评定量表评估和认知评估，其中包含词语流畅性测试。使用偏相关分析和中介分析探讨 LLD 患者嗅觉快感与抑郁症状或认知功能之间的关系。
LLD 组的嗅觉快感量表评分低于正常对照组，且与 17 项汉密尔顿抑郁评定量表的总分和因子评分（迟滞、认知偏差和焦虑/躯体化）呈负相关，与词语流畅性测试评分呈正相关。嗅觉快感量表的食物和想象维度的评分对 LLD 患者和正常对照组之间认知偏差（17 项汉密尔顿抑郁评定量表的一个因子）的差异具有部分中介作用。
LLD 患者表现出明显的嗅觉快感缺失，抑郁症状和认知障碍与嗅觉快感缺失的严重程度相关。在 LLD 患者中增强嗅觉快感可能潜在改善他们的抑郁症状。
