Abstract
The assessment of olfactory function is becoming increasingly relevant, especially in cases of cognitive decline (i.e., neurodegenerative diseases), where olfactory alterations may be relevant as potential early biomarkers. The Sniffin’ Sticks Olfactory Test, developed in Germany and validated in several countries, is an objective measure of olfactory performance. This study aims to validate this test in a Spanish sample. This study included 209 healthy normosmic volunteers (154 females and 55 males) aged between 20 to 79 years (mean age = 50.11 ± 15.18 years) as the normative sample. From this group, 22 participants were retested in order to obtain test–retest reliability evidence. Odor familiarity for descriptors in the olfactory identification test was also studied on an independent healthy sample (n = 69), and required cultural modifications were applied. Results indicate that men and women, as well as smokers and non-smokers, performed equally in every test. However, significant differences were found between age groups in every score. The general trend is that olfactory function progressively decreases as a function of age, the elderly group (+60 years) being the one with the lowest scores. In conclusion, this normative data, in addition to the test’s cultural modifications, allows the Sniffin’ Sticks Olfactory Test to be administered on a Spanish population.
Highlights
Sense of smell, responsible for detecting and processing odors, is one of the oldest and most important senses for living organisms
Smells are not perceived in the same way by all people; they vary in intensity and magnitude
The objective of this work is to adapt the Sniffin’ Sticks Olfactory Test to the Spanish population through the development of normative scales, including evidence of reliability, as well as the study of potential demographic covariates, such as sex or age, that could be related to olfactory capacity
Summary
Responsible for detecting and processing odors, is one of the oldest and most important senses for living organisms. It provides critical information about our surroundings [1]. Smell can influence our emotional state, cognition, and behavior [2,3]. Our sense of smell regulates many of our behaviors, from nutrition to social interaction [4]. Smells connect us with moments in our past, alert us, cause us to flee or attack, and revive feelings and emotions [5]. Smells are not perceived in the same way by all people; they vary in intensity and magnitude. The olfactory function is influenced by climate [6], age [7,8,9], gender [10,11], and culture [12,13,14]
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