OLFACTORY DYSFUNCTION IS A MAJOR MEDICAL PROBLEM AFFECTING MANY AMERICANS.

OLFACTORY DYSFUNCTION IS A MAJOR MEDICAL PROBLEM AFFECTING MANY AMERICANS. FOR EXAMPLE, RECENT STUDIES REVEALED THAT OVER ONE QUARTER OF PERSONS ABOVE THE AGE OF 65 ARE TOTALLY ANOSMIC. DESPITE SUCH STATISTICS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF OLFACTION TO HUMAN SAFETY AND NUTRITION, ONLY ONE STANDARDIZED TEST OF CN I FUNCTION IS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION IN THE CLINIC. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS TEST CANNOT BE USED IN SOME PATIENTS HAVING LANGUAGE OR VERBAL DIFFICULTIES (E.G., THE MENTALLY RETARDED, THE ILLITERATE, YOUNG CHILDREN, AND SOME OF THE ELDERLY). A WELL-DESIGNED STANDARDIZED NONVERBAL SMELL TEST WOULD PROVIDE A MEANS OF EVALUATING SUCH PERSONS, AS WELL AS PERSONS WITH NORMAL LANGUAGE FUNCTION. IN PHASE I OF THIS SBIR PROJECT WE WILL INITIATE DEVELOPMENT OF A NONVERBAL MICROENCAPSULATED SMELL IDENTIFICATION TEST FOR EVALUATION OF SMELL FUNCTION IN BOTH NORMAL PERSONS AND THOSE WITH POOR VERBAL SKILLS OR WITH NEUROLOGIC PROBLEMS WHICH PRECLUDE VERBAL TESTING. IN PHASE II WE WILL COMPLETE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS TEST AND ESTABLISH POPULATION NORMS BY ADMINISTERING IT TO NORMAL AND OLFACTORY-DEFICIENT PERSONS. DURING PHASE III THE DEVELOPED TEST WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION. FUNDING IS REQUESTED IN THIS PROPOSAL ONLY FOR PHASE I, ALTHOUGH STUDIES TO BE CONDUCTED IN PHASE II ARE BRIEFLY MENTIONED IN THE RESEARCH PLAN TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGY OF THE ENTIRE