Page 155 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

Support the Aging Brain • 139

dentist about the possibility of a different style with a partial
upper plate.

A profound loss of smell is not normal.

Research at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Cen-
ter’s Smell and Taste Center indicates that a profound loss of
smell is not normal and should be reported to your physi-
cian. Although many physicians do not ask about your
sense of smell during an examination, a drastic loss of smell
is one of the initial signs of neurodegenerative diseases,
such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and
6
others. Keep in mind that if you have started a new med-
ication, it might be the medication that suddenly has af-
fected your sense of smell and taste. You might want to
check with your physician and pharmacist about possible
side effects of your medications.

neurodegenerative—relating to the decline of the
powers of the brain

Touch
Touch is a combination of sensitivities to pressure, pain, and
heat/cold. Not a lot of information is available on the
changes to these sensitivities as we age. There is evidence
that our sensitivity to pressure decreases. Although studies
have been performed to determine the effects of aging on our
perception of pain, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact effect,
because so much of our evaluation of the pain is psycholog-
ical. It just seems that some of us tolerate pain better than
others. There is no clear-cut understanding of the changes
with respect to pain. As far as our sensitivity to temperature
differences, you are well aware that your body adjusts to
gradual changes in temperature. In the middle of winter, for
example, 45-degree temperatures seem warm after weeks of
temperatures in the 20s to 30s. In the summer, however, a 45-
degree temperature would seem very cold after weeks of
temperatures in the 80s. It takes approximately three days