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The Pocket Smell Test

Successfully Discriminating Probable Alzheimer's Dementia From Vascular Dementia and Major Depression

Received December 5, 2000; revised March 5, 2001; accepted March 12, 2001. From the University at Albany, State University of New York (K.D., R.J.M.), and Psychiatric Consultants, P.C. (G.S.S.). Address correspondence to Dr. McCaffrey, University at Albany, State University of New York, Department of Psychology, SS112, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222.

The present study extended previous work on olfactory dysfunction (odor identification deficits) by using the Pocket Smell Test (PST) to discriminate between groups of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and major depression (MD). Sixty patients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for either AD, VaD, or MD (20 per group) underwent assessment with the PST, a three-item screening measure of odor identification, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Patients with AD scored significantly lower than patients with either VaD or MD on the PST, even after controlling for MMSE scores. A PST score of 1 (i.e., 1 or 0 correct) discriminated between patients with and without AD with a classification accuracy of 95% (sensitivity 100%, specificity 92.5%). Olfactory assessment may be of diagnostic utility in the differential diagnosis of AD versus VaD versus MD in elderly patients.

Key Words: Assessment and Rating Instruments • Olfactory Functioning • Alzheimer's Disease • Depression • Vascular Dementia

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				M. Pardini, E. D. Huey, A. L. Cavanagh, and J. Grafman Olfactory Function in Corticobasal Syndrome and Frontotemporal Dementia Arch Neurol, January 1, 2009; 66(1): 92 - 96. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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