Olfactory Stimulation in Severe Brain Injury

"The odors being tested (natural odor, neutral odor, chemical odor) are part of the 40 fragrances made by International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and each is contained in an approximately 15-mL glass bottle. The selected odors will be administered using a small paper strip (15 cm length and 0.7 cm width) that will be soaked in the selected odor and placed under the subject's nose at a minimum distance to prevent direct contact of the strip with the skin; the strip will be moved alternately from one nostril to the other.~Stimulation will have, for each odor the duration of 5 minutes. It will always be carried out within the same time slot (between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm) for 5 consecutive days for 2 weeks. Before and after the administration of each odor, a neutral odor (water) will be administered as a control in the same manner as described above.~The sequence of odor administration will be randomized according to a computer-generated sequence."