Presentation Details
| A Method to Measure Restored Odor Perception in non-Human Primates Tatsu Kobayakawa1, Hidekazu Kaneko1, Aya Takemura1, Yasuko Sugase1, Masayoshi Kobayashi2, Eisuki Ishigami2, Daniel Coelho3, Richard Costanzo3. 1National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Human Informatics and Interaction Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan.2Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan, Tsu, Japan.3Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA |
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that electrical stimulation of the olfactory system may effectively evoke smell perception. Before human application of an olfactory implant system, proof-of-concept functional validation in an animal model is essential. A critical requirement for such validation is a reliable method to assess odor perception in animals. The aim of this study was to establish a protocol for accurately determining odor perception in a non-human primate (NHP). Prior to the olfactory experiment, a monkey (Macaca fuscata) had been trained to fixate on a small target to obtain a reward. During the experiments, the monkey was seated in a primate chair with its head immobilized using a custom-fitted mask and positioned facing a monitor. Eye position was continuously monitored with an eye-tracking system. For the olfactory task, a fixation target appeared at the center of a screen. When the monkey maintained fixation for a predetermined duration, one of eight conditions (seven odorants or odorless air) was presented. Following each odor presentation, water was delivered as a reward; conversely, no reward was given after odorless trials. Because the specific odor qualities that might be elicited by electrode-based olfactory stimulation were unpredictable, the training paradigm focused on detecting the presence or absence of olfactory input rather than discriminating among odor qualities. To reinforce this, after the initial presentation of seven odors, each odor was subsequently mixed in equal proportions to alter odor quality during training. In conclusion, this protocol provides a reliable method for determining odor perception in NHPs using chemical stimulation and can serve as a foundation for future studies involving electrical stimulation of the olfactory system. This project was funded by SRT.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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