Development of the Chinese Smell Identification Test

Abstract

Smell identification ability reflects the functional integrity of the human olfactory system. Its deficit is a prodromal marker for Parkinson's disease and is also implicated in Alzheimer's disease and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Considering the impact of cultural factors on odor identifiability, we have developed a smell identification test specifically for the Chinese population (CSIT), which includes 40 odor items that are familiar to this population, presented in a multiple-choice format. The CSIT has a test-retest reliability of 0.92 and is validated against the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and the Sniffin' Sticks Identification Test 16 (SS-16). In terms of identification accuracy, Chinese participants on average score 15% higher on the CSIT than on the UPSIT or SS-16. The CSIT is also sensitive to age and gender differences in smell identification ability. As such, the CSIT provides an effective tool for the assessment of olfactory function in the Chinese population.