A computer-controlled olfactometer for a self-administered odor identification test

Abstract

Odor identification tests are widely used for the general screening of olfactory function. However, the administration of odor identification tests is often limited due to a lack of investigators' time. Therefore, we attempted to design a computer-controlled olfactometer to present a self-administered odor identification test. The results produced by means of this olfactometer were evaluated in terms of validity and test-retest reliability. To test the validity, participants' performance in the odor identification test using the olfactometer was compared with their performance in the odor identification test using the validated assessment of the "Sniffin' Sticks" test. The ten-item odor identification test was performed two times using two different methods: (1) the self-administered test using the computer-controlled olfactometer and (2) the foreign-administered test using the "Sniffin' sticks." To examine test-retest reliability, 20 participants were asked to repeat these tests on a different day. Participants reached significantly higher scores on a foreign-administered odor identification test using the "Sniffin' sticks" than on the olfactometer-based test; however, this effect was driven by two less correctly identified odors in the olfactometer-based test. The significant difference between both methods in the mean scores disappeared after excluding two odors from the analysis. In addition, both methods showed no significant difference in scores obtained during the first and second session, indicating that results were consistent between sessions. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the computer-controlled olfactometer designed in this study can be used for a self-administered odor identification test.

The digital scent device as a new concept for olfactory assessment

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Long-Term Test–Retest Reliability of the UPSIT in Cognitively Intact Older Adults

“…Short-term test-retest reliability for the UPSIT has been shown to compare favorably with several other odor identification tests (Doty et al 1995). For the Sniffin' Sticks test, which is a widely used olfaction test developed in Europe, test-retest reliability over a 1-day interval was moderate with Pearson's r = 0.79 for the 16-odor identification version (Schriever et al 2011) and ranged from moderate to strong (Pearson's r = 0.69-0.93) for short and long versions of that test (Haehner et al 2009).…”

Electroencephalogram response in premature infants to different odors: a feasibility study

“…EEG setup, data acquisition and processing were performed using a small transportable computer-controlled olfactometer [ 8 ]. Stimuli were administered using a nasal cannula.…”