Olfactory Examination in Korsakoff's Syndrome: Implications for Early Diagnosis

Whilst olfactory dysfunction has been reported in Korsakoff's Syndrome (KS) patients, the diagnostic implications of this have not been fully explored. KS can be difficult to diagnose because cognitive symptoms are similar to other diagnoses. For instance, patients with Frontal Lobe (FL) Syndrome may present with memory impairments that are similar to KS. Participants were given the Benton Visual Retention Test-Fifth Edition (BVRT-V), to identify working memory dysfunction, and a Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT), to evaluate olfactory function. B-SIT scores were found to be significantly lower in the KS group compared to the control and FL groups. In contrast, the error scores on the BVRT-V were significantly higher in both the KS and FL groups compared to the healthy control subjects. Therefore, we suggest that olfactory function may aid in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with working memory dysfunction.