BACKGROUND: There is strong evidence for an association of olfactory dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases. Studies on the association of olfaction and cognition in the general population are rare.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate gender- and age-specific associations of olfactory function and cognitive performance in a well characterized population-based study sample.

METHODS: At the third examination of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study (n = 3,087), 2,640 participants (48% men; 68.2±7.2 years) underwent Sniffin' Sticks Screening Test measuring olfactory function on a scale of 0-12 points. Olfactory function was rated as anosmic, hyposmic, or normosmic (≤6, 7-10 or ≥11 points, respectively). All participants performed eight validated cognitive subtests. Age- (55-64 years, 65-74 years, 75-86 years) and gender-stratified multivariate analysis of covariance was used to evaluate group differences in cognitive performance.

RESULTS: Women showed better olfactory function than men (p 

CONCLUSION: This is the first study reporting on age-specific associations of olfactory function and cognitive performance in the general population. The association found in middle-aged participants (65-74 years) may serve as a marker to improve identification of persons at high risk for cognitive decline and dementia.