Joy Milne, 72, noticed her husband smelled differently 12 years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Scientists have now harassed the power of her hyper-sensitive sense of smell to develop a test to determine whether people have the disease.

When her husband’s diagnosis was finally confirmed, Milne mentioned the change in smell to Dr Tilo Kunath from Edinburgh University. Her observation piqued the interest of the scientific community. Years later, academics at the University of Manchester have made a major breakthrough by developing a test that can identify people with Parkinson’s disease using a simple cotton bud run along the back of the neck.

Researchers are able to examine the collected sample to identify molecules linked to the disease to help diagnose whether someone has it. While it is still in the early stages of research, healthcare workers are excited about the prospect of being able to detect the disease using a simple test. There is currently no definitive test for Parkinson’s and diagnosis is based on a patient’s symptoms and medical history.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition, caused by a loss of nerve cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra. This leads to a reduction in dopamine in the brain - dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. There are over 40 symptoms of the disease, both motor and non-motor symptoms. Symptoms generally develop slowly over a number of years and are different from one person to another. Although Parkinson’s cannot be cured, medications can help significantly to improve symptoms.

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