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ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF COGNITION AND COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED ON THREE TESTS OF OLFACTION

DULAY, MARIO FARIN, JR.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1116274924

Abstract Details

2005, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences : Psychology.
Diminished test performance on standard olfactory tasks is known to be related to the level of cognitive impairment in individuals with diverse neurologic and psychiatric disorders. It is unclear, however, to what extent olfactory losses reflect sensory dysfunction in the early stages of olfactory processing, pathology related to higher-order processing of odors, non-olfactory cognitive deficits that emulate or exacerbate the appearance of olfactory losses, or some combination of all of these factors. A novel, valid and reliable approach to the evaluation of olfaction, the Sniff Magnitude Test (SMT), was recently developed and may minimize the influence of non-olfactory cognitive information processes in the evaluation of olfactory functioning. Recently, the SMT was found to be a valid indicator of olfactory ability in children and individuals with limited English-language abilities, which provided preliminary support for the claim that the test is only minimally influenced by variations in attentional and memory capacities, as well as language and odor familiarity. The present study used analysis of covariance structure procedures to determine the extent to which measures of retrieval of semantic and episodic verbal information, working memory, and cognitive processing speed relate to 3 measures of olfaction believed to have differing degrees of cognitive complexity. One hundred thirty-eight adults (ages 56-93 years) completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and the SMT, the phenyl ethyl alcohol threshold test (PEAT), and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Results indicated that the retrieval of verbal information significantly affects the UPSIT, working memory significantly affects the UPSIT and to a lesser extent the PEAT, and cognitive processing speed significantly affects the UPSIT and to a lesser extent the PEAT. As predicted, verbal retrieval, working memory and cognitive processing speed did not influence performance on the SMT. It was confirmed that measures of olfaction dependent on the ability to recognize odors or detect odor intensities may overestimate olfactory loss when cognition and cognitive processing speed weaknesses are not taken into account. The minimal dependence of the SMT on these cognitive and processing speed processes may prove useful to efforts aimed at understanding the role of the olfactory system in a number of neurodegenerative disorders.
Dr. Robert Frank (Advisor)
77 p.
Psychology, Cognitive
Olfaction; Cognition; Neuropsychology; Older Adults; Sniff Magnitude Test

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • DULAY, JR., M. F. (2005). ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF COGNITION AND COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED ON THREE TESTS OF OLFACTION [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1116274924

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • DULAY, JR., MARIO. ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF COGNITION AND COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED ON THREE TESTS OF OLFACTION. 2005. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1116274924.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • DULAY, JR., MARIO. "ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF COGNITION AND COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED ON THREE TESTS OF OLFACTION." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1116274924

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1116274924
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© 2005, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.
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