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The relationship between cognitive abilities and olfactory function (FO) has been a subject of great research interest. Previous studies highlighted that both olfactory and specific cognitive processes are regulated by the orbitofrontal cortex, and suggested associations between declines in cognitive abilities and alterations in olfactory perception. However, the majority of investigations focused on specific populations (i.e. older adults, and individuals with cognitive impairment), and primarily relied on the only identification test to assess olfaction, which is known to be partially confounded by cognitive and cultural factors. In light of these premises, there is a shared need to further explore these domains in a cohort of young adults devoid of cognitive impairment signs to determine the value of olfactory testing as a possible predictor of cognitive impairment in young and healthy individuals. For this reason, we investigated the relationship between olfaction and cognitive abilities and explored the possible role of gender differences in a population of younger adults. To evaluate OF we used the Sniffin’ Sticks Extended version (Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification), while for cognitive abilities we used the ICAR16 test (investigating four dimensions: verbal reasoning, letter and number series, matrix reasoning, and three-dimensional rotation). Preliminary results did not support previous research findings, indicating a lack of statistically significant correlation between OF and cognitive abilities in younger adults, and no influence of gender. Further studies are pivotal to clarify the nature of this relationship.
