Taste in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease is now considered a complex systemic disease also characterized by the occurrence of a variety of non-motor symptoms. Among them, a chemosensory impairment defined as a deficient olfactory performance is now acknowledged to be one of the prevalent symptoms since the early stages of the disease. Less clear are the incidence, extent and pathophysiology of taste function. The purpose of the present review is to summarize the state of the art in taste literature. To provide a better understanding of the available results, we will also discuss the different methods for taste evaluation and the other potential confounders to be addressed by future research.