Test-retest reliability and validity of the Sniffin' TOM odor memory test

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Few attempts have been made to develop an olfactory test that captures episodic retention of olfactory information. Assessment of episodic odor memory is of particular interest in aging and in the cognitively impaired as both episodic memory deficits and olfactory loss have been targeted as reliable hallmarks of cognitive decline and impending dementia. Here, 96 healthy participants (18-92 years) and an additional 19 older people with mild cognitive impairment were tested (73-82 years). Participants were presented with 8 common odors with intentional encoding instructions that were followed by a yes-no recognition test. After recognition completion, participants were asked to identify all odors by means of free or cued identification. A retest of the odor memory test (Sniffin' TOM = test of odor memory) took place 17 days later. The results revealed satisfactory test-retest reliability (0.70) of odor recognition memory. Both recognition and identification performance were negatively affected by age and more pronounced among the cognitively impaired. In conclusion, the present work presents a reliable, valid, and simple test of episodic odor recognition memory that may be used in clinical groups where both episodic memory deficits and olfactory loss are prevalent preclinically such as Alzheimer's disease.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)173-179
Number of pages7
JournalChemical Senses
Volume40
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2015
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 84935081551
PubMed 25550307
ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/146645200

Keywords

Keywords

  • Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Child, Cognitive Dysfunction, Female, Humans, Male, Memory/physiology, Middle Aged, Odorants, Reproducibility of Results, Sensory Thresholds/physiology, Smell/physiology, Young Adult