Thomas C Hummel

Abstract“Sniffin’ Sticks” is a test of nasal chemosensory function that is based on pen-like odor dispensing devices, introduced some 10 years ago by Kobal and co-workers. It consists of tests for odor threshold, discrimination, and identification. Previous work established its test-retest reliability and validity. Results of the test are presented as “TDI score”, the sum of results obtained for threshold, discrimination, and identification measures. While normative data have been ...

Abstract“Sniffin’ Sticks” is a test of nasal chemosensory performance that is based on penlike odor-dispensing devices. It is comprised of three tests of olfactory function: tests for odor threshold, discrimination and identification. Previous work has already established its test-retest reliability and validity in comparison to established measures of olfactory sensitivity. The results of this test are presented as a composite TDI score – i.e., the sum of results obtained for threshold, ...

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: This prospective study aimed to investigate predictors of nasal surgery in terms of olfactory function.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study.

METHODS: A total of 775 patients were included in this prospective study (482 men, 293 women; age range 10-81 years, mean age 41 years, standard deviation = 15.3 y). Prior to surgery, patients received a detailed otorhinolaryngologic examination including nasal endoscopy. Olfactory function was assessed with a standardized odor ...

OBJECTIVES: Olfactory function is known to be modulated by repeated exposure to odors. The aim of this investigation was whether patients with olfactory loss would benefit from "Training" with odors in terms of an improvement of their general olfactory function. It was hypothesized that olfactory Training should produce both an improved sensitivity towards the odors used in the Training process and an overall increase of olfactory function.

STUDY DESIGN: The prospective study was ...

BACKGROUND: On the basis of experiments in rats, serotonin 4 receptor (5-hydroxytryptamine 4 [5-HT4]) agonists have been proposed as a novel therapeutic strategy for the selective treatment of respiratory depression caused by opioids while leaving analgesic effects unaffected. The effects in rats have been seen with the 5-hydroxytryptamine 4a (5-HT4a) agonist BIMU8, which is currently not available for use in humans.

METHODS: In a proof-of-applicability study, the clinically recommended ...

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the olfactory deficit hypothesis regarding Alzheimer's disease, the authors compared olfactory function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, subjects with mild cognitive impairment, and healthy comparison subjects.

METHOD: Olfactory function of 14 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, eight subjects with mild cognitive impairment, and eight healthy age-matched comparison subjects was assessed with both psychophysical tests and olfactory event-related ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of olfactory function in patients with olfactory loss following infections of the upper respiratory tract (post-URTI) or head trauma.

DESIGN: Retrospective patient-based study.

SETTING: Smell and Taste Outpatient Clinic at a university hospital.

PATIENTS: A total of 361 patients (228 women, 133 men) were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Olfactory function was assessed using the "Sniffin' Sticks" test battery, which result in a threshold, ...

OBJECTIVE: For chemosensory event-related potentials (ERP) significant effects of age and sex have been demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of stimulus concentration, side of stimulation, and sex on the topographical distribution of chemosensory ERP in a large group of subjects stratified for different age groups. In addition, psychophysical measures of both olfactory and trigeminal function should be assessed in greater detail compared to previous ...

Although Parkinson’s disease (PD) is usually considered as a movement disorder, it is strongly associated with non-motor symptoms (NMS), including smell and taste dysfunctions, cognitive impairment, apathy, fatigue, and autonomic dysregulation. Olfactory deficit is considered the most common NMS in PD preceding the motor symptoms for years. The aim of this study was to investigate olfactory function, cognitive impairment, apathy, and fatigue in patients with PD in comparison with healthy ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether differences in olfactory function between healthy individuals and patients with olfactory loss could be detected by various diagnostic tests.

DESIGN: Psychophysical testing of orthonasal and retronasal olfactory functions, magnetic resonance imaging of olfactory bulb (OB) volume, and chemosensory event-related potential (ERP) measurement performed between January 1, 2005, and October 31, 2005.

SETTING: Academic tertiary referral medical center.

PATIENTS: ...

PURPOSE: Smell and taste changes during chemotherapy are significant complaints of cancer patients. Loss of olfactory/gustatory function can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, and possibly a prolonged morbidity of chemotherapy-induced adverse effects, decreased quality of life, poor compliance, and even decreased therapy response. This prospective study comprehensively investigated, to our knowledge for the first time, smell and taste changes in a cohort of 87 patients undergoing ...

The present investigation aimed to compare trigeminal nasal function of anosmic and hyposmic patients to healthy controls. Further, we aimed to study effects of age and gender on trigeminally mediated sensations following intranasal chemosensory stimulation. Participants were 35 patients with olfactory dysfunction (n=13: functional anosmia; n=22: hyposmia; age 28-69 years, mean age 56 years). Their results were compared with 17 normosmic subjects (28-82 years, mean 52 years). To analyze ...

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate olfactory function with orthonasal and retronasal testing in patients with posttraumatic olfactory loss and to investigate the relation between residual olfactory function and olfactory bulb (OB) volume.

METHOD: A retrospective study of 25 patients with posttraumatic olfactory loss was performed. Orthonasal olfactory function was assessed with the Sniffin' Sticks test kit; retronasal olfactory function was assessed with intraorally ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of self-reported ratings of olfactory function in 83 healthy subjects. Such ratings were compared with quantitative measures of olfactory function, as well as with ratings of nasal patency. In experiment 1 subjects rated olfactory function and nasal patency before olfactory testing, whereas in experiment 2 the reverse was the case. No feedback regarding test results were provided until after completion of the testing. The principal ...

Dscam is an immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily member that regulates axon guidance and targeting in Drosophila. Alternative splicing potentially generates 38,016 isoforms differing in their extracellular Ig and transmembrane domains. We demonstrate that Dscam mediates the sorting of axons in the developing mushroom body (MB). This correlates with the precise spatiotemporal pattern of Dscam protein expression. We demonstrate that MB neurons express different arrays of Dscam isoforms and that ...