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. 2024 Nov;281(11):5823-5830.
doi: 10.1007/s00405-024-08811-w. Epub 2024 Jul 13.

A novel olfactory sorting task

Shubin Li  1 , Anne Wolter  2 , Christine Kelly  3   4 , Barry Smith  5   4 , Katie Whitcroft  2   4 , Harry Sherwood  3   4 , Beth Longley  6 , Thomas Hummel  2   4
Affiliations

A novel olfactory sorting task

Shubin Li et al. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Nov.

Erratum in

  • Correction: A novel olfactory sorting task.
    Li S, Wolter A, Kelly C, Smith B, Whitcroft K, Sherwood H, Longley B, Hummel T. Li S, et al. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Dec;281(12):6725. doi: 10.1007/s00405-024-08909-1. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024. PMID: 39373915 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to develop a simple self-administered screening tool for odor memory, which allowed users to self-test their olfactory function repeatedly even at home.

Methods: One hundred and ten participants were recruited (30 men, age = 50.1 ± 9.9 years; 80 women, age = 47.1 ± 11.5 years); half of them were heathy volunteers, the other half were patients with olfactory dysfunction. Fifty-one healthy participants volunteered for a retest within an interval of a maximum of 14 days. Olfactory function was assessed using the extended Sniffin' Sticks test (SST) comprising tests for odor threshold, identification, and discrimination. All participants received the Novel Olfactory Sorting Task (NOST) which is based on the sorting of 12 matching pairs of odors involving olfactory and cognitive functions. After that, all participants rated questions related to their test performance and the practicability of the test.

Results: Consistent with the previous literature, significant effects of age were found. Results showed an acceptable test-retest reliability and a satisfactory validity of the NOST. The NOST score not only had positive correlations with SST, but also was capable of differentiating severe hyposmia/anosmia from normosmia by the score of 5.5 (sensitivity of 76.2%, specificity of 77.6%).

Conclusion: The present study showed the good reliability, validity, and possible clinical usefulness of the NOST. As a self-performed screening test, it can be comprehended and conducted easily, which may provide a quick and simple approach to obtaining a global estimation of olfactory and cognitive functions.

Keywords: Early diagnosis of olfactory dysfunction; Memory match game; Odor memory; Olfactory test; Self-administered test.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mismatch rate of the 12 odorants. Note: Purple means a higher mismatch rate, yellow represents a lower rate, and green indicates successful matching
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Correlations between NOST and subtests of SST
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
ROC curve of NOST
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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