Objective: To introduce the concept that there might be “nothing to smell” to the Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT), with a view to masking olfactory deficits, particularly from healthy control participants in...Objective: To introduce the concept that there might be “nothing to smell” to the Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT), with a view to masking olfactory deficits, particularly from healthy control participants in research studies. Methods: Seventy-one elderly individuals, healthy for their age, were recruited to the study. They were blindfolded and carried out a modified B-SIT where one item had been replaced with a placebo, and one odour alternative answer to three other items was replaced by the alternative “none/other” (actual odour unchanged). Results: There was no overall difference in the median or mean score achieved by the cohort compared to results obtained previously using the conventional B-SIT. The replacement of the item “turpentine” with a placebo resulted in an improved score for the item in a Norwegian setting. The overall scores were not improved. Conclusions: It is possible to introduce the concept that there may be “nothing to smell” to the B-SIT without compromising the test for healthy control individuals. This may be a more appropriate approach to olfactory testing of control individuals or patients with suspected early neurodegenerative diseases.展开更多
The ability to smell is important for protection from danger and quality of life, even in children. Although smell loss is rare in children, it can be indicative of some childhood dis-orders and may be useful for unde...The ability to smell is important for protection from danger and quality of life, even in children. Although smell loss is rare in children, it can be indicative of some childhood dis-orders and may be useful for understanding some disorders. This paper reviews the methods and results of behavioral testing olfaction in children, with an emphasis on odor identification, the most common method of assessing the sense of smell in both children and adults. The Pe-diatric Smell Wheel? is described as a relatively new and powerful tool for testing olfaction in children as young as 4 years of age. An example of its use in testing children with a childhood disorders (autism spectrum disorder, ASD) is provided in addition to a review of the literature on smell function in ASD. It is possible to reliably test sense of smell in children as young as 4 years old and many studies have shown that performance improves with age and can be impacted by childhood disorders. Sex differences in children are briefly discussed. Finally, the paper suggests other methods of testing olfaction in children, such as odor discrimination, that depend less on cognitive factors, which may enhance our understanding of the olfactory capabilities of young children.展开更多
文摘Objective: To introduce the concept that there might be “nothing to smell” to the Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT), with a view to masking olfactory deficits, particularly from healthy control participants in research studies. Methods: Seventy-one elderly individuals, healthy for their age, were recruited to the study. They were blindfolded and carried out a modified B-SIT where one item had been replaced with a placebo, and one odour alternative answer to three other items was replaced by the alternative “none/other” (actual odour unchanged). Results: There was no overall difference in the median or mean score achieved by the cohort compared to results obtained previously using the conventional B-SIT. The replacement of the item “turpentine” with a placebo resulted in an improved score for the item in a Norwegian setting. The overall scores were not improved. Conclusions: It is possible to introduce the concept that there may be “nothing to smell” to the B-SIT without compromising the test for healthy control individuals. This may be a more appropriate approach to olfactory testing of control individuals or patients with suspected early neurodegenerative diseases.
文摘The ability to smell is important for protection from danger and quality of life, even in children. Although smell loss is rare in children, it can be indicative of some childhood dis-orders and may be useful for understanding some disorders. This paper reviews the methods and results of behavioral testing olfaction in children, with an emphasis on odor identification, the most common method of assessing the sense of smell in both children and adults. The Pe-diatric Smell Wheel? is described as a relatively new and powerful tool for testing olfaction in children as young as 4 years of age. An example of its use in testing children with a childhood disorders (autism spectrum disorder, ASD) is provided in addition to a review of the literature on smell function in ASD. It is possible to reliably test sense of smell in children as young as 4 years old and many studies have shown that performance improves with age and can be impacted by childhood disorders. Sex differences in children are briefly discussed. Finally, the paper suggests other methods of testing olfaction in children, such as odor discrimination, that depend less on cognitive factors, which may enhance our understanding of the olfactory capabilities of young children.
