The specific aim of this small grant is to provide a basis for a reliable methodology for the collection and analysis of odor event-related potentials. The new methodology should provide a valuable aid in the diagnosis of a variety of disorders related to olfaction and should help objectively quantify the degree of olfactory impairment in an individual. Such information would also be useful in the identification of individuals malingering olfactory deficits and could help in the differentiation of olfactory from trigeminal impairment. Additionally, it is expected that this technique would provide basic information about central nervous system processing of olfactory stimuli. Such information is essential in understanding the cognitive processing of odor stimuli.
