Side Effects: The Nose Knows
A nasal swab may detect Alzheimer's before symptoms appear — and the immune system is already loud about it
By
Kerri Miller
March 18, 2026
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Pre-clinical Alzheimer's can be detected via olfactory epithelium biopsies, revealing early immune activation before cognitive symptoms appear.
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Activated CD8 memory T cells in the olfactory tissue of pre-clinical Alzheimer's patients were nearly triple that of cognitively normal controls.
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The olfactory epithelium's location allows it to detect neuroinflammation, making it a potential diagnostic tool for early Alzheimer's.
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Ethics education for doctors often neglects professional identity, which is linked to burnout and eroded ethics in healthcare.
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Patients with type 2 diabetes receiving weight loss advice were less likely to achieve weight loss than those who received no advice.
