title: Test-retest reliability and validity of the Sniffin' TOM odor memory test.
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.
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Fetschertstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Croy
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Fetschertstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Cora
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zehner
authors.affiliation: Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Frescati Hagväg 9A, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden and.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35100 Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gesualdo M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Zucco
authors.affiliation: Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Fetschertstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany, thummel@mail.zih.tu-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hummel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: assessment; human; memory; olfaction nose; psychophysics; smell