Background and objectives : Increased industrialization and the changing environment have caused complex olfactory problems in the modern population, and the need for an objective evaluation of such problems has thus come to our attention. In
this
study, we used the human Q-EEG (Bio-Logic, Brain Atlas III) equipment to evaluate olfactory fuction, and tried to lay out a basis for an objective test of olfactory function in humans. Materials and Methods : Twenty normosmic adults and ten
anosmic
patients were studied by the human Q-EEG equipment. EEG changes were analyzed by a nonparametric test(Mann-Whitney test, p<0.05). A mixture of S-D alcohol, benzophenol, BHT(benzyl hydroxy toluene), water, and fragrance were used as an odorant.
The
odorant was applied to the one third anterior of the inferior turbinate using a small piece of filter paper soaked in the odorant. Results : During odorant stimulation, the Q-EEG analyzer showed that the delta band (0-3.5 Hz) decreased in the
whole
brain region, while the alpha band (8-11.5 Hz) increased in the bilateral temporal region in the normosmic patients. There was no Q-EEG changes in the anosmic patients. Conclusion : It is suggested that human Q-EEG analysis may provide the basis
for the
development of an objective test of olfactory function in humans.
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