Detection and recognition thresholds for five basic tastes in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Background: Patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) are thought to exhibit taste disorders; however, this has not been extensively studied. We investigated gustatory functions and factors affecting taste in patients with ADD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and in non-demented controls (NDCs) and evaluated associations between cognitive impairment and gustatory functions.

Methods: We recruited 29 patients with ADD, 43 with MCI, and 14 with NDCs.