2009 Abstracts - Association for Chemoreception Sciences

#P49 Poster session I: Chemosensory disorders,models and aging/Central chemosensory circuitsObjective evaluation of the impact of chronic rhinosinusitis(CRS) on olfactory functionKai Zhao 1,2 , Edmund A. Pribitkin 1,2 , Nancy E. Rawson 1,3 ,David Rosen 2 , Christopher T. Klock 1 , Aldona A. Vainius 1 ,Pamela Dalton 1 , Beverly J. Cowart 1,21Monell Chemical Senses Center Philadelphia, PA, USA,2Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Thomas JeffersonUniversity Philadelphia, PA, USA, 3 WellGen, Inc. NorthBrunswick, NJ, USAChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is both one of the most commonchronic diseases in the U.S., afflicting over 30 million adults, andone of the most common causes of smell loss. Yet, not all sufferersof CRS experience smell problems. In order to develop targetedtherapies for this form of smell loss, it is critical that we identifyeffective tools to evaluate the functional impact of the diseaseprocess on the olfactory system. To this end, the Monell-JeffersonChemosensory Clinical Research Center has enrolled 55 patientswith clearly defined CRS and performed a battery of objectiveassessments on them, including acoustic rhinometry,rhinomanometry, CT scans and nasal endoscopic evaluations,with each tool indexing different aspects of disease status.Rhinometry primarily reflects the airway cross-sectional area andresistance contributed by the anterior portion of the nasal cavity,endoscopy evaluates the main nasal airway, ostiomeatal complexand olfactory cleft, whereas CT staging scores weight heavily onthe surrounding sinuses. Our findings indicate that none of thesetools by themselves discriminate degrees of olfactory loss due toCRS. Endoscopy scores and CT scores of the ethmoid sinuses areexcellent indices for the most severe olfactory loss, anosmia, yetfail to differentiate hyposmic patients from those with noolfactory loss. The minimum cross sectional area (MCA)measured by acoustic rhinometry correlates significantly withunilateral olfactory thresholds of patients, but only for the highsoluble odorant l-carvone, not for the low soluble d-limonene,which may reflect a conductive mechanism. In the future,carefully weighted combinations of multiple objective tools mayprovide a better evaluation of the aspects of this disease processthat impact olfactory function.#P50 Poster session I: Chemosensory disorders,models and aging/Central chemosensory circuitsPalinosmia: Olfactory PerseverationAlan R HirschSmell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation Chicago, IL,USASensory perseveration occurs in the auditory (Palinacousis),somesthetic (Palinesthesia), and visual (Palinopsia) spheres.Olfactory perseveration (Palinosmia) has not been described.Four cases are presented. Case 1: 64 year-old male with upperrespiratory infection, followed by a smokey, burnt woodphantosmia. Smelling or eating replaced the phantosmia with theambient or retronasal odor which would persist four hours afterinhalation or consumption. Fiberoptic endoscopy, MRI of brain,and sinus CT were negative. UPSIT (27/R, 20/L), PEA Threshold(>-2.0/R, –5.0/L). Case 2: 38 year-old female, 19 years prior,sustained a traumatic subdural hematoma and coincident anosmiawith monthly phantosmias of smoke or fish. Three months priorto presentation, she developed a prolongation of perception ofsmell, even after removed from the vicinity of the odor. UPSIT(24/R, 28/L). Case 3: 32 year-old woman fell off a horse withfrontal contusion and basal skull fracture, anosmia and anintermittent unpleasant chemical smell which was precipitated byexposure to strong odors, persisting for days after the ambientodor stimulus had been removed. PEA (> –2.0/R, >-2.0/L) andUPSIT (11/R, 7/L). Case 4: 48 year-old woman with upperrespiratory infection-induced anosmia replaced by a “foul, rottenfish” odor in response to any smells or tastes which persisted forhours after the stimulus odor. Fiberoptic endoscopy, CT ofsinuses, and MRI of brain were negative, UPSIT (20/R, 18/L),PEA (-4.5/R, -2.0/L). CONCLUSION: Unlikephantosmia,Palinosmia may be viewed as the abnormalperseveration of a true or distorted olfactory stimulus.#P51 Poster session I: Chemosensory disorders,models and aging/Central chemosensory circuitsBimodal odorant perception in anosmic subject: a fMRi studyEmilia Iannilli 1 , Thomas Bitter 2 , Hilmar Gudziol 2 ,Hartmut Burmeister 3 , Anita Chopra 41Dept. of ORL, University of Dresden Medical School Dresden,Germany, 2 Dept. of ORL, University of Jena Jena, Germany,3Dept. of Radiology, University of Jena Jena, Germany, 4 UnileverR&D Port Sunlight Birmingham, United KingdomMost odorous compounds stimulate both olfactory and intranasaltrigeminal receptors.It is not entirely clear which brain areasspecifically relate to within each system and those common toboth systems. In order to further investigate the cross-interactionbetween the two systems, a block design functional magneticresonance (fMRI) study was set up. For stimulation we chose thebimodal stimulus menthol was presented in two differentconcentrations to two groups of subjects, an healthy controlgroup and an anosmic group (no sense of smell) (17 subjects ineach group). For stimulus presentation computer-controlled airdilutionolfactometer was used. Image acquisition was performedby means of 3T MRI-scanner (Siemens Magnetom Trio TimSystem 3T; TR 2s; TE 30ms; FA 90°; 1.72x1.72x2 mm). SPM5 wasused for data analysis. Normosmic subjects exhibited activation inthe anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, andcerebellum. On the other side, anosmic patients activated the samearea inside the anterior cingulate; moreover a cluster of activationwas found in the left parahippocampal gyrus. In controls, an effectof stimulus intensity was localized between the anterior cingulateand the medial frontal gyrus; such areas could not be found inanosmic subjects. Among others these results clearly indicate thatthe olfactory system seems to amplify trigeminally mediatedinformation resulting resulting in more efficient informationprocessing related to differentiation between stimulus intensities.42 | AChemS Abstracts 2009