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PubMed2005

A preliminary study of neuroSPECT evaluation of patients with post-traumatic smell impairment.

BACKGROUND: Most olfactory testings are subjective and since they depend upon the patients' response, they are prone to false positive results. The aim of this study was to use quantitative brain perfusion SPECT in order to detect possible areas of brain activation in response to odorant stimulation in patients with post-traumatic impaired smell in comparison to a group of normal subjects. METHODS: Fourteen patients with post-traumatic impaired smell and ten healthy controls were entered in this prospective study. All subjects underwent brain SPECT after intravenous injection of 740-MBq 99mTc-ECD and 48 hours later, the same procedure was repeated following olfactory stimulus (vanilla powder). RESULTS: In most of seven regions of interest (Orbital Frontal Cortex, Inferior Frontal Pole, Superior Frontal Pole, Posterior Superior Frontal Lobe, Parasagittal Area, Occipital Pole, and Cerebellar area) the post-stimulation quantitative values show increased cortical perfusion being more pronounced in normal volunteers than the anosmic patients (except cerebellar areas and the right occipital pole). Maximal activation was observed in orbitofrontal regions (right+ 25.45% and left +25.47%). CONCLUSION: Brain SPECT is a valuable imaging technique in the assessment of post-traumatic anosmia and could be competitive as an alternative to other imaging techniques, especially when functional MRI is unavailable or unsuitable. However, this procedure may benefit from complementary MRI or CT anatomical imaging.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

[Olfactory testing: diagnostic methods for investigating the sense of smell].

For the testing of a person's sense of smell, both subjective and objective methods are available. Subjective tests include odor identification, threshold and discrimination tests. A prerequisite for successful testing is the ability and willingness of the patient to cooperate. For testing smell in the demented, comatose or simulating patient, the measurement of chemosensory evoked potentials (CSEP) is an established method.

Chemoreceptor Cells↗
PubMed2006

Palatability of hydrolysates and Other substitution formulas for cow's milk-allergic children: a comparative study of taste, smell, and texture evaluated by healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Hydrolyzed formulas used to feed infants with cow's milk-allergy can be classified as soy based, extensively hydrolyzed (casein, whey and mixed), and amino-acid based. Their unsatisfactory taste is reported by parents and physicians. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to ascertain the palatability of these formulas in a double-blind taste test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty healthy volunteers performed a randomized-order double-blind test with 12 different milks. The taste, smell, smell, and texture of each formula were evaluated o n scales ranging from 1 (worst) t o 5 (best). The Pearson correlation coefficient between the peptide weight of each formula and the score obtained for each evaluated attribute was calculated. RESULTS: The soy formulas and rice formula had the best taste scores, followed by the whey hydrolysates; the mixed hydrolysates and the casein hydrolysates had the lowest taste scores. Individually the most palatable formula was mixed hydrolysate 1, by total score. We found a statistically significant correlation between peptide weight, reflecting the degree of hydrolysis of each formula, and the scores obtained for taste, texture, and overall palatability. CONCLUSION: The palatability of formulas is determined by the amount of bitter peptides obtained through hydrolysis. Flavorings and sweeteners may also contribute to palatability. Further studies are needed in order to determine how to modify the organoleptic properties of these products with the purpose of improving their palatability.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Standardized examination methods for smell and taste and their clinical value].

The diagnostic of disturbances of the chemical senses is from a clinical standpoint still insufficient, as the literature of the whole world shows. Ten years of experimental and clinical investigations as well as the collection and evaluation of the experiences at the University ENT-Clinic Halle/S., GDR--have helped to develop some new tests and tools like a big and a small smell-case, two electrogustometers, the documentation by means of olfacto- and gustograms and so on. Now in the whole GDR a special group of ENT-scientists, members of our ENT society, are working on standardisation. The experiences will be official in our country. After the representation of our diagnostic system from to-day, as we are using them in our clinic, we are giving clinical examples as the diagnosis of the cranial nerves, the control of the treatment and so on, which are showing the usefulness of such examinations in smell and taste.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

CT of the brain in taste and smell dysfunction.

Three hundred fifty-four patients with taste and/or smell disorders were evaluated with computed tomography (CT). The largest group was characterized by head trauma (27%), followed by idiopathic causes (26%), postinfluenza-like hyposmia and hypogeusia (15%), and congenital etiologies (14%). Hyposmia and hypogeusia occurred concomitantly in 21%-45%, the percentage varying according to etiologic subgroup. CT abnormalities were found in 108 (31%) of the 354 patients. The most frequent pathologies were frontal encephalomalacia, subfrontal atrophy in the region of the olfactory bulbs, and anterior temporal lobe atrophy. These changes were found alone or in tandem. Some CT findings suggest common cerebral taste and smell centers and common neural pathways and association centers.

Ageusia↗
PubMed1995

[Disorders of the sense of smell and taste].

Disorders of olfaction and taste are infrequent, but a complete loss of smell or taste reduces the quality of life significantly. The sensitivity of human olfaction is remarkable, even for specific stimuli: Just a few molecules are enough to induce the correct identification of sterilised and ultraheated milk. Olfaction and taste are called 'chemical senses' because in both cases the adequate stimulus consists of molecules that bind to receptors of the sensory cells. The perceptions of smell and taste are often combined. Taste differentiates only four qualities: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The typical flavor of food or drink is detected by olfaction. Disturbances of olfaction can be due to respiratory disorders such as nasal polyps, a deviation of the nasal septum or chronic sinusitis. Such conditions can reduce airflow through the olfactory cleft at the roof of the nasal cavity. They can be corrected by modern endoscopic surgery of the nose. Epithelial disorders involving the sensory cells are most often caused by viral infections (influenza-anosmia) or toxic destruction of the sensory epithelium (solvents or gases). Epithelial disorders can be cured only rarely by any treatment. Corticosteroids, zinc, and vitamin A are tried frequently. Neural disorders occur after frontobasal trauma and during neurological diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Disorders of olfaction can be an early sign of such neurological diseases and sophisticated examination of this sense can contribute to their early diagnosis. However, no specific treatments have yet been identified. Disorders of taste can be due to toxic, chemical or inflammatory damage to the sensory cells of the tongue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Central Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed1993

Proliferation of reticuloendothelial system (RES) in rats with altered vision or smell (to the hypothetic neural regulation of the RES).

A long-term administration of an azo-dye, trypan blue, induced a reactive proliferation of RES in rats. Reaction of the RES was followed in rats whose optical analyzer was eliminated by enucleation of bulbs after the birth, in rats whose smell analyzer was altered by a repeated long-term exposition to ammoniac and in normal rats. Blind rats showed a striking proliferation of histiocytes of the RES in the liver, while the reaction was weak in the spleen and lymph nodes. In contrary to that, rats with altered smell and also the normal rats exhibited standard reactive changes in the spleen and lymph nodes and distinctly weaker reaction in the liver. The obtained results support an idea that vegetative neural mechanisms play a role in control and coordination of RES reactions.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1962

Increased sensitivity of taste and smell in cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis is consistently accompanied by the ability to taste and smell salt, sweet, sour, and bitter substances in solution at concentrations much more dilute than those at which the substances are detectable by normal persons. These abnormal thresholds are not affected by the administration of carbohydrate-active steroids.

Cystic Fibrosis↗
PubMed2003

Identifying the pattern of olfactory deficits in Parkinson disease using the brief smell identification test.

BACKGROUND: Selective olfactory deficits occur in 70% to 90% of patients with Parkinson disease, independent of disease severity and duration. Olfactory testing may be a useful diagnostic aid for Parkinson disease, but the types of odors most commonly affected need to be identified. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern and types of odors affected in Parkinson disease by means of the University of Pennsylvania 12-item Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT; Sensonics, Inc, Haddon Heights, NJ). DESIGN: Testing patients with Parkinson disease and control subjects in 5 movement disorder clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-nine nondemented patients with Parkinson disease and 52 age- and sex-matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Normal or abnormal olfactory function was determined in each subject according to predetermined age and sex norms. Predictive statistics and discriminant function analyses were performed to determine the pattern and types of odors best discriminating patients from controls. RESULTS: Abnormal olfactory function was present in 40 (82%) of patients compared with 12 (23%) of controls. The B-SIT score was unaffected by smoking behavior, disease duration, or severity. The sensitivity of the B-SIT for Parkinson disease was 0.82, with a specificity and predictive value of 0.82 and 0.77, respectively. Only 5 of the 12 B-SIT odors (gasoline, banana, pineapple, smoke, and cinnamon) were required to adequately discriminate patients with Parkinson disease from controls. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of the B-SIT, 5 specific odors appear primarily affected in patients with Parkinson disease. Significantly, the ability of patients to detect some odors was unimpaired compared with that of controls. Better diagnostic aids could be developed on the basis of the selective pattern of hyposmia observed in Parkinson disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Smell or taste disturbances, neurological symptoms, and hydrocarbon exposure.

A total of 264 workers participated in a cross-sectional study concerning the toxicity of hydrocarbons. The clinical examination shows an increased prevalence of smell and/or taste disturbances in the heavily exposed group. These symptoms appear to be generally transitory and reversible. They seem to be due to concentration peaks rather than to a long exposure duration. They are associated with acute depressor effects and not with symptoms which could belong to a hydrocarbon-induced chronic toxic encephalopathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Is there directional smelling?

The aim of the present study was to establish the crucial precondition for directional smelling, i.e. the ability of humans to discriminate between odorous stimuli perceived either from the right or from the left side. When the 'pure' odorants hydrogen sulphide or vanillin were used as stimulants localization was random. On the other hand stimulation with carbon dioxide or menthol yielded identification rates of more than 96%. These results established the fact that directional orientation, considering single momentary odorous sensations, can only be assumed, when the olfactory stimulants simultaneously excite the trigeminal somatosensory system.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The sense of smell: multiple olfactory subsystems.

The mammalian olfactory system is not uniformly organized but consists of several subsystems each of which probably serves distinct functions. Not only are the two major nasal chemosensory systems, the vomeronasal organ and the main olfactory epithelium, structurally and functionally separate entities, but the latter is further subcompartimentalized into overlapping expression zones and projection-related subzones. Moreover, the populations of 'OR37' neurons not only express a unique type of olfactory receptors but also are segregated in a cluster-like manner and generally project to only one receptor-specific glomerulus. The septal organ is an island of sensory epithelium on the nasal septum positioned at the nasoplatine duct; it is considered as a 'mini-nose' with dual function. A specific chemosensory function of the most recently discovered subsystem, the so-called Grueneberg ganglion, is based on the expression of olfactory marker protein and the axonal projections to defined glomeruli within the olfactory bulb. This complexity of distinct olfactory subsystems may be one of the features determining the enormous chemosensory capacity of the sense of smell.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

On the ORigin of smell: odorant receptors in insects.

Olfaction, the sense of smell, depends on large, divergent families of odorant receptors that detect odour stimuli in the nose and transform them into patterns of neuronal activity that are recognised in the brain. The olfactory circuits in mammals and insects display striking similarities in their sensory physiology and neuroanatomy, which has suggested that odours are perceived by a conserved mechanism. Here I review recent revelations of significant structural and functional differences between the Drosophila and mammalian odorant receptor proteins and discuss the implications for our understanding of the evolutionary and molecular biology of the insect odorant receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Geriatric nutrition: the role of taste and smell in appetite.

Proper nutrition is essential to the health of the oral tissues, and healthy tissues enhance prosthodontic treatment of the elderly. All dentists should be prepared to offer dietary advice to this expanding population. Taste and smell are essential to proper nutrition. In the elderly the peripheral sensory receptors decline, causing the appetite to wane. Taste and aroma are inextricably intertwined in determining the palatability and acceptance of food. For example, during an upper respiratory infection, the olfactory receptors are blocked. Food becomes tasteless; it loses both flavor and aroma and the appetite declines. As a result of aging, the taste buds on the tongue and the olfactory receptors in the roof of the nasal cavity regress. In addition, the gustatory and olfactory nuclei in the brain decline, causing a reduction in appetite and diet.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Peripheral insulin in response to the sight and smell of food.

Twenty-five obese and 23 reference women were compared with respect to their peripheral insulin concentrations in response to the sight and smell of food. An additional 21 obese women were examined for different control purposes. The women were examined after fasting for approximately 16 hr. Venous blood samples for determination of glucose and insulin were drawn 20, 10, and 1 min prior to the demonstration of food for 5 min. After the food had been presented to the subjects, samples were drawn at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 15, and 20 min. The response was calculated in two different ways: method I--the difference between meal basal insulin values and mean insulin values during and/or after stimulation, and method II--the "insulin area" over the mean basal concentration was calculated for 0-20 min after start of food presentation. Both methods resulted in significantly higher insulin responses in obese as compared to reference subjects. However, when performing duplicate experiments in the same subjects only method II resulted in reproducible results and even with this method the error was as high as 60%-90%. The high error of the method was partly expected since the insulin elevation is most likely not only a function of controlled external cues but also dependent on unknown sensorimotor and cognitive-affective alterations. No insulin response was observed when obese women were exposed to an external cue that was not food related. Atropine completely blocked the insulin elevation in response to food related external stimuli indicating that this insulin response is mediated via vagus.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Temporal integration and reaction times in human smell.

A model description of intensity perception in human taste and smell developed earlier has now been verified experimentally to determine parameter values for odorants. The final objective is to quantify and understand odour-odour interaction phenomena in e.g., masking, deo-perfumes and flavour enhancement. Five types of olfactometer experiments were carried out, viz. determination of thresholds, determination of reaction times, scaling of perceived intensity after 5 sec stimulation, scaling of perceived intensity of a fixed concentration at variable duration, and measurement of intensity/time relationships. Four subjects were used and the odorants cineole, geraniol and hexane.

Acyclic Monoterpenes↗
PubMed1993

Identification of alcohol by smell among young children: an objective measure of early learning in the home.

Familiarity with alcoholic beverages was assessed by means of a modified version of Jahoda and Cramond's 'Recognition of Smells' task (Jahoda, G. and Cramond, J. (1972) Children and Alcohol, HMSO, London). Two hundred and thirty-eight Scottish and English children aged 5.5-6.5, 7.5-8.5 and 9.5-10.5 years participated. When verbal identification was aided by pictorial cues, almost 95% of the sample identified at least one of the alcoholic beverages. Moreover, alcoholic beverages were identified significantly more often than non-alcoholic substances. The results highlight the early age at which awareness of alcohol begins, and emphasise the importance of children's home-based learning experiences in the development of alcohol cognitions. Both have important implications for alcohol education.

Alcohol Drinking↗