Sniff Magnitude Ratio as a Measure of Olfactory Acuity

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Smell loss is a health and safety problem for millions of Americans. Assessment of smell function is not routinely performed because a rapid, inexpensive and robust test of olfaction is not available. Our SBTR Phase I grant demonstrated the feasibility of a new test of olfactory function, the sniff magnitude test. The test performed well in reliability and validity studies with adults as compared to standard tests, and proved to be superior to the UPSIT in tests with children. Because the sniff test is based on reflex-like reduction of sniffing to a malodorous stimulus, it is hypothesized that it will have advantages over standard tests that require substantial cognitive, memory and language skills. This SBIR Phase II application aims to enhance the sniff magnitude test by (1) improving the odor delivery and sniff measurement equipment and protocol, (2) reducing the cost of the test device, (3) demonstrate the utility of the test in the clinic, and (4) providing robust demonstrations of the advantages of the test with populations who have proved difficult or time consuming to evaluate with existing olfactory acuity tests.