[Diagnostic methods in the assessment of anosmia in neurologic diseases].

Several important neurological diseases can impair the sense of smell. In the past the substances generally used for testing were not well defined, and the testing procedures did not follow the rules of psychophysical test procedures. Therefore, in this paper standardized new methods of testing the olfactory system are presented. Based on published data, the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test is the most suitable test for screening purposes. More detailed information can be obtained when using the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center's Odor Identification Test that includes the possibility of determining the olfactory threshold. Additionally, a new method that combines the testing of olfactory threshold, odor discrimination and odor identification with the recording of specific olfactory-evoked potentials is described. The latter test is especially useful when objective neurophysiological data are requested.