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The Brief Odor Detection Test (B-ODT) for Very Early Diagnosis of Cognitive Decline: A Preliminary Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2017

Dimitra Savvoulidou ,
Efthymia Totikidou ,
Chariklia Varvesiotou ,
Magda Iakovidou ,
Ourania Sfakianaki ,
Georgia Papantoniou ,
Elvira Masoura  and
Despina Moraitou Open the ORCID record for Despina Moraitou [Opens in a new window]
Dimitra Savvoulidou
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Efthymia Totikidou
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Chariklia Varvesiotou
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Magda Iakovidou
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Ourania Sfakianaki
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Georgia Papantoniou
Affiliation:
University of Ioannina, Hellas, Greece
Elvira Masoura
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
Despina Moraitou*
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece
*
Address for correspondence: Despina Moraitou, PhD, Section of Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Hellas, Greece. E-mail: demorait@psy.auth.gr
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Abstract

Olfactory impairment in older adults is associated with cognitive decline. This study describes the development of a Brief Odor Detection Test (B-ODT), and its pilot administration in community-dwelling older adults. The study aimed at examining whether the test could differentiate older adults with very mild cognitive impairment from their cognitively healthy counterparts. The sample consisted of 34 older adults (22 women), aged from 65 to 87 years. Participants were divided into two groups according to their general cognitive functioning. Odor detection was measured via vanillin solutions at the following concentrations: 150 mg/L, 30 mg/L, 15 mg/L, 3 mg/L, and .03 mg/L. The first condition of the test involved a scale administration of vanillin solutions. The second condition examined the change in air odour and it required vanillin solution of 30 mg/L and a metric ruler of 30 cm. The examiner had to place the solution at a specific distance point from each nostril. Odour identification sensitivity was secondarily measured. The results showed statistically significant differences in odour detection threshold between the two groups. In the unirhinal testing, left nostril differences of the two groups were definite. Hence, the B-ODT seems a promising instrument for very early cognitive impairment screening in older adult population.

Keywords

agingminimal cognitive impairmentolfactory functioning
Type
Articles
Information
Brain Impairment , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , September 2017 , pp. 197 - 210
Copyright
Copyright © Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment 2017 

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