The way odors are perceived by humans is determined by their chemical structure. The association of physico-chemical properties of the stimulus with the corresponding perception is so far incompletely understood and known only for some specific functional groups. Furthermore, the role of olfactory disorders on the perception of odorous substances with different chemical structures has rarely been studied before. With this study, we investigate the way in which subjective measures of human odor perception are related to the chemical properties of odor molecules and to what extent the perceptual impression differs between healthy participants and patients with olfactory disorders.
For this purpose, we examine a sample of 240 healthy volunteers and 120 patients with reduced olfactory performance (hyposmia and anosmia). From all healthy participants and patients, sociodemographic and questionnaire data on personality, mental health and odor significance are collected in an online survey conducted at the participants’ homes. In a subsequent examination session, ten chemically different odors are first freely described and then evaluated according to various predetermined descriptors using visual analogue scales or dichotomous questions. Each participant completes a Sniffin' Sticks test for objective assessment of their olfactory function.
We present the olfactory perception of pleasantness and intensity for the first 30 healthy subjects and the first 30 patients. We focus on a comparison between and within healthy participants and participants with hyposmia or anosmia. The relationship to the chemical structure as well as inter-individual differences in the perception of the odors are considered. Qualitative descriptors are analyzed in an exploratory fashion.