Abstract
Introduction
The Sniffin’ Sticks test battery is currently considered the best alternative for the measurement of olfactory threshold, discrimination and identification capabilities. These tests still suffer from limitations, however. Most noticeably, the olfactory threshold test is an intensive task which requires participants to smell a large number of olfactory stimuli. This proves especially problematic when measuring olfactory performance of elderly patients or screening research subjects, as sensory adaptation plays an important role in olfactory perception.
Methods
In the current study, we have determined that the cause of this limitation lies with the test’s single-staircase procedure (SSP). Consequentially, we have devised an alternative ascending limits procedure (ALP). We here compared data obtained using both procedures, following a within-subject design with 40 participants. Olfactory threshold scores as well as number of trials required to complete the two procedures were investigated.
Results
The results show that the ALP provides reliable and correct olfactory threshold ratings, as the values showed a good correlation with those obtained using the SSP and mean values did not differ significantly. Task duration, however, did show a highly significant difference, completing the SSP required participants to complete over 40% more trials compared to the ALP.
Discussion
The here presented methodological improvement can save time and, more importantly, reduce participants’ cognitive and sensory strain, which is not only more comfortable, but also limits the influence of adaptation, making any measured data more reliable.
Implications
Improving standard screening methods can directly enhance the reliability of any future study using this procedure.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albrecht J, Anzinger A, Kopietz R, Schöpf V, Kleemann AM, Pollatos O, Wiesmann M (2008) Test–retest reliability of the olfactory detection threshold test of the Sniffin’Sticks. Chem Senses 33(5):461–467. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjn013
Cain WS, Goodspeed RB, Gent JF, Leonard G (1988) Evaluation of olfactory dysfunction in the Connecticut chemosensory clinical research center. Laryngoscope 98(1):83–88. https://doi.org/10.1288/00005537-198801000-00017
Dalton P (2000) Psychophysical and behavioral characteristics of olfactory adaptation. Chem Senses 25(4):487–492. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/25.4.487
Doty RL (1991) Olfactory system. Smell and taste in health and disease. Raven Press, New York
Fechner TG (1860) Elemente der Psychophysik vol 1. Breitkopf und Härtel, Leipzig
Hall J (1968) Maximum-likelihood sequential procedure for estimation of psychometric functions. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 44(1):370–370. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1970490
Hummel T, Sekinger B, Wolf SR, Pauli E, Kobal G (1997) ‘Sniffin’ Sticks’: olfactory performance assessed by the combined testing of odor identification, odor discrimination and olfactory threshold. Chem Senses 22(1):39–52. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/22.1.39
Jacob TJ, Fraser C, Wang L, Walker V, O’Connor S (2003) Psychophysical evaluation of responses to pleasant and mal-odour stimulation in human subjects: adaptation, dose response and gender differences. International Journal of Psychophysiology: Official Journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology 48(1):67–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8760(03)00020-5
Kobal G, Hummel T, Sekinger B, Barz S, Roscher S, Wolf S (1996) “Sniffin’sticks”: screening of olfactory performance. Rhinology 34(4):222–226
Linschoten MR, Harvey LO, Eller PM, Jafek BW (2001) Fast and accurate measurement of taste and smell thresholds using a maximum-likelihood adaptive staircase procedure. Attention Perception Psychophysics 63(8):1330–1347. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03194546
Oleszkiewicz A, Pellegrino R, Pusch K, Margot C, Hummel T (2017) Chemical complexity of odors increases reliability of olfactory threshold testing. Sci Rep 7:39977. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep39977
Stevens JC, Cain WS, Burke RJ (1988) Variability of olfactory thresholds. Chem Senses 13(4):643–653. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/13.4.643
Wetherill G, Levitt H (1965) Sequential estimation of points on a psychometric function. Br J Math Stat Psychol 18(1):1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8317.1965.tb00689.x
Wolfensberger M (2000) Sniffin’Sticks: a new olfactory test battery. Acta Otolaryngol 120(2):303–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/000164800750001134
Zernecke FT, Haegler K, Albrecht J, Bruckmann H, Wiesmann M (2011) Correlation analyses of detection thresholds of four different odorants. Rhinology 49:331–336
Zernecke et al (2010) Comparison of two different odorants in an olfactory detection threshold test of the Sniffin’Sticks. Rhinology 48:368–373
Zizlsperger L, Sauvigny T, Haarmeier T (2012) Selective attention increases choice certainty in human decision making. PLoS One 7(7):e41136. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041136
Zizlsperger L, Sauvigny T, Händel B, Haarmeier T (2014) Cortical representations of confidence in a visual perceptual decision. Nat Commun 5:3940. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4940
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Funding
The project was funded by a grant from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research within the Faculty of Medicine at the RWTH Aachen University (IZKF Project N7-9).
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
The study was approved by the ethics board of the Medical Faculty of the University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sijben, R., Panzram, C., Rodriguez-Raecke, R. et al. Fast Olfactory Threshold Determination Using an Ascending Limits Procedure. Chem. Percept. 11, 35–41 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-017-9239-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-017-9239-1