Abstracts - Association for Chemoreception Sciences

#P325 POSTER SESSION VII:
OLFACTORY PSYCHOPHYSICS &
CLINICAL STUDIES; CENTRAL OLFACTION
Eruction Sensitive Subjective Hypogeusia
Alan R. Hirsch
Smell & Taste Treatment and Reasearch Foundation Chicago, IL,
USA
OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the importance of retronasal olfaction
for perception of taste. BACKGROUND: Physiologic
synesthesia with taste/smell confusion is the chemosensory
underpinning of perceived flavor which is mediated through
retronasal olfaction. The importance of this mechanism in the
perception of flavor is manifest in the case study.
METHODS/RESULTS: 70 year-old retired teacher was nasute
until one year prior to presentation when, after a severe upper
respiratory infection, suddenly lost all smell, with gradual
recovery of approximately 30%. Concurrent with the smell loss
was a perceived decreased ability to taste all but sweet, sour, and
spicy, whereas all foods tasted flavorless. With eructation, totally
normal flavor would return (ie. chewing what tasted like
cardboard, on eructation, would suddenly transform to garlic
bread, rubber to cantaloupe, etc.). Otolaryngolgic and nasal
fiberoptic endoscopic examinations and CT of the head and
sinuses were normal. Chemosensory testing suggested
normogeusia on quadrant testing and Accusens Taste test, but
severe olfactory deficit: right and left unilateral PEA threshold
testing greater than -2.0; UPSIT left nostril 16, right nostril
10; Sniffin’ Stick Threshold unilaterally and dirhinously less than
1; discrimination left 3, right 5, dirhinously 6; identification left 8,
right 9, dirhinously 7; odor memory test 2 at ten seconds, 3 at
thirty seconds, and 1 at sixty seconds.
CONCLUSIONS/RELEVANCE: The perceived normogeusia
upon eructation in this otherwise subjectively hypogeusic
individual demonstrated the importance of retronasal olfaction in
the perception of flavor. SOURCE OF FUNDING: None
#P326 POSTER SESSION VII:
OLFACTORY PSYCHOPHYSICS &
CLINICAL STUDIES; CENTRAL OLFACTION
Identification of odor active substances in human
amniotic fluid
Constanze Hartmann 1 , Sébastien Doucet 1,2,3 , Ralf Dittrich 4 ,
Benoist Schaal 3 , Andrea Buettner 1,2
1
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Chemistry
and Pharmacy Erlangen, Germany, 2 Fraunhofer Institute for
Process Engineering and Packaging Freising, Germany, 3 Centre
des Sciences du Gout, Developmental Ethology and Cognitive
Psychology Group Dijon, France, 4 University of Erlangen-
Nuremberg, University Hospital Erlangen Erlangen, Germany
Objectives. Physiological evidence indicates that olfaction could
already function in the human fetus [1]. Right after birth the odor
of amniotic fluid (AF) is detectable to newborns and seems to
attract [2] and calm them [3]. Such early attraction may derive
from fetal learning/memory, and may help newborns adapt to the
postnatal environment. The chemosensory basis of AF
attractiveness has not been investigated yet, and this study aimed
to characterize odor active compounds therein. Methods. The
flavor profile of AF was monitored by descriptive sensory
evaluation using an adult panel, while the identification of the
predominant odor substances was carried out by senso-analytical
techniques like gas chromatography-olfactometry and
comparative dilution assays. Results. The prevailing AF odor
impressions were described as blood- and raw meat-like. Several
odor active substances were identified, amongst them some
carbonyl compounds, as well as androstenone. Conclusions.
Human AF contains a wide range of odorous substances, such as
odor active steroids or ketones. These substances could have the
potential ability to promote attention and hush the newborn, for
example during noxious medical examination. References. [1]
Schaal et al. 2004. Clin Perinatol 31:261-81 [2] Schaal et al. 1995.
Biol Neonate 67, 397-406. [3] Varendi et al 1998. Early Hum Dev
51:47-55. Acknowledgements: Financed by the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Bavarian
Research Foundation.
#P327 POSTER SESSION VII:
OLFACTORY PSYCHOPHYSICS &
CLINICAL STUDIES; CENTRAL OLFACTION
Human Neonatal Responses to Androstenone
Sebastien Doucet 1,2,3 , Constanze Hartmann 2 , Ralph Dittrich 4 ,
Robert Soussignan 1 , Benoist Schaal 1 , Andrea Buettner 2,3
1
Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group,
Centre des Sciences du Goût, CNRS Dijon, France, 2 Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Emil Fischer Center, University of
Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen, Germany, 3 Sensory Analytics,
Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Freising, Germany, 4 University-Hospital Erlangen, University of
Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen, Germany
Aims. Human newborns show equal attraction to the odors of
amniotic fluid (AF) and mothers’ colostrum [1]. As 5-a-androst-
16-en-3-one (An) has been found in both fluids [2, 3], we studied
it as a potential vector of this perinatal odor continuity and of
neonatal attraction to the smell of breast and milk [4].
Methods. Two studies were run. 1) We recorded the behavior of
16 newborns (3 days) and 26 adults exposed to a saturating water
solution of An and to 3 reference odorants [butyric acid, B;
vanilla, V; water, W]. 2) We videotaped 26 newborns (3 days)
being administered 7 stimuli: 4 dilution steps of An and 3
reference odorants [familiar milk, V, W]. Oral and facial actions to
each odorant were quantified in infants, while verbal responses
were recorded in adults. Results. In study 1, 12/16 neonates
reacted with negative facial actions to An, while 10, 3 and 2
responded in such way to B, V and W, respectively. In contrast,
11/26 adults rated An as unpleasant, while 26 rated B as negative,
and V and W as positive/neutral. In study 2, 24/26 newborns
increased the relative duration of negative facial actions and/or
decreased the duration of oro-cephalic movements when exposed
to An as compared to W. Conclusions. A great majority of
newborns detect An and, as adults who are osmic to An, respond
to An in showing unpleasantness. Thus, the status of specific
anosmia to An clearly differs in neonates and adults (
50% being non responsive, respectively). Finally, the negative
responsiveness to a compound met prenatally appears paradoxical
when considering previous data on fetal odor learning.
References. [1] Schaal B et al. (1998). Behav Neurosci, 112, 1438-
49; [2] Doucet S et al., submitted; [3] Buettner A (2007). Flav
Fragr J, 22, 465-73; [4] Doucet S et al. (2007). Dev Psychobiol, 49,
129–38. Acknowledgements: SD was supported by Bavarian
Research Foundation and Region Burgundy. CH and AB were
funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and
Research (BMBF), and BS by CNRS (EAL 549).
P O S T E R S
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