Research Resources

Fragrances are made up of the raw oil/aroma, fixative to equalize the vapor pressure/volatility of the raw fragrance, and a solvent to extend the aromatic strength of the oil, typically an alcohol.

The below fragrances were taken from a candle/soap making website and had the most amount of info available on the different fragrances (https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/). There were a lot of websites that advertised “Phthalate-free” and from the CDC website not enough research has been done to demonstrate any effect, aside from reproductive issues in laboratory animals from some phthalates

• Peanut Butter Fragrance MSDS

  • Cost - $2.85/fl.oz.

  • Vapor Pressure (mmHg@20 C): 0.0033

  • %VOC: 0.2531

  • Specific Gravity @ 25 C: 1.1190

  • Density @ 25 C: 1.1160

  • Ingredients:

    • Benzyl Benzoate - fixative

    • Diethyl phthalate - solvent

    • Ethyl vanillin - aroma(3x as strong as vanillin, but more expensive)

    • Vanillin - aroma

• Lavender MSDS

  • Cost - $2.99

  • Vapor Pressure (mmHg@20 C): 0.0754

  • %VOC: 17.13

  • Specific Gravity @ 25 C: 1.0080

  • Density @ 25 C: 1.0050

  • Ingredients:

    • Benzyl Benzoate - fixative

    • Lavandin oil (Lavandula hybrida) - aroma

    • Linalool - aroma(blender)

    • Ethyl vanillin - aroma

    • Linalyl acetate - aroma

    • Hexyl cinnamaldehyd - aroma

    • Eucalyptol - aroma

    • alpha-Terpineol - aroma

    • Terpineol acetate - aroma

    • Coumarin - aroma

    • Hexamethylindanopyran(Galaxolide) - aroma

    • Vanillin - aroma

    • Camphor - aroma

    • p-Methylanisole - aroma

• Gas Sensor: It can detect combustible Carbon Monoxide, Coal Gas and Liquefied Gas. The sensitivity can be adjusted by the potentiometer.

** Note: This is the sensor presently in Prototype IV

• Alcohol Sensor: It is built with MQ303A semiconductor alcohol sensor. It has good sensitivity and fast response to alcohol, making it suitable for building a breathalyzer. This Grove module implements all the necessary circuitry for the MQ303A, such as power conditioning and heater power supply. This sensor outputs a voltage inversely proportional to the alcohol concentration in air. Note: The sensor value only reflects the approximated trend of gas concentration within a permissible error range, it DOES NOT represent the exact gas concentration. The detection of certain components in the air usually requires a more precise and costly instrument, which cannot be done with a single gas sensor. If your project is aimed at obtaining the gas concentration at a very precise level, then we do not recommend this gas sensor.

• HCHO/VOC Sensor: Its design is based on the WSP2110 whose conductivity changes with the concentration of VOC gas in air. Through the circuit, the conductivity can be converted to the output signal that corresponds to the gas concentration. This sensor can detect the gas whose concentration is up to 1 ppm. It’s suitable for detecting formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and other volatile components. This product can be used to detect harmful gas in the home environment. Warning The sensor value only reflects the approximated trend of gas concentration in a permissible error range, it DOES NOT represent the exact gas concentration. The detection of certain components in the air usually requires a more precise and costly instrument, which cannot be done with a single gas sensor. If your project is aimed at obtaining the gas concentration at a very precise level, then we do not recommend this gas sensor.

Can a Smell Test Sniff Out Alzheimer's Disease?

Olfactory Dysfunction as a Global Biomarker for Sniffing out Alzheimer’s Disease

Odor Identification Ability Predicts PET Amyloid Status and Memory Decline in Older Adults (This link uses Sci-Hub which the BSU network isn’t a fan of, read on personal internet)

Essentially all these articles are describing the relationship between the olfactory system and the hippocampus, which is where Alzheimer’s patients experience the most degradation. They all express the need for a biomarker that gives a definitive diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and that odor impairment has the possibility to be that diagnosis. The current diagnosis for AD can only really occur after death during an autopsy where the brain would show a buildup of proteins beta amyloid and tau, or a painful and invasive surgery to test cerebrospinal fluid.

“The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is an objective, quantitative test of olfactory function. The test consists of 40 odors, each of which is microencapsulated on a pad that, one at a time, the patient scratches with a pencil and sniffs. The patient is provided with a list of 4 choices for each pad, and from which the correct answer must be chosen or a guess made. It has been demonstrated that there is good correlation between UPSIT and other olfactory function tests such as the T&T olfactometer threshold test, Cain's odor identification test, and Le Nez du Vin-derived smell identification test. Furthermore, it has been reported that the UPSIT and its 10-, 20-, and 30-item fragments have very high internal consistency reliability.”

Optionally, it looks like we could take the test ourselves: https://www.parinc.com/Products/Pkey/415 - $65 for administration manual and 4 tests.

**Note: We are currently in possession of 4 UPSIT tests to better inform the method and technique used to diagnose scent impairment.

A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of Melissa officinalis oil and donepezil for the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer's disease - Burns

Method: The study was a double-blind parallel-group placebo-controlled randomized trial across 3 specialist old age psychiatry centres in England. Participants had probable or possible Alzheimer's disease, were resident in a care home, had clinically significant agitation (defined as a score of 39 or above on the Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory) and were free of antipsychotics and/or anticholinesterase for at least 2 weeks. Participants were allocated to 1 of 3 groups: placebo medication and active aromatherapy; active medication and placebo aromatherapy or placebo of both.

Results: The primary outcome measure was reduction in agitation as assessed by the Pittsburgh Agitation Scale (PAS) at 4 weeks. This is an observational scale, and raters were required to wear nose clips to ensure that full blinding was maintained. The PAS, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI; another measure of BPSD) and other outcome measures were completed at baseline, 4-week and 12-week follow-ups. 114 participants were randomized, of whom 94 completed the week 4 assessment and 81 completed the week 12 assessment. Aromatherapy and donepezil were well tolerated. There were no significant differences between aromatherapy, donepezil and placebo at week 4 and week 12, but importantly there were substantial improvements in all 3 groups with an 18% improvement in the PAS and a 37% improvement in the NPI over 12 weeks.

Conclusion: When assessed using a rigorous design which ensures blinding of treatment arms, there is no evidence that melissa aromatherapy is superior to placebo or donepezil, in the treatment of agitation in people with Alzheimer's disease. However, the sizeable improvement in the placebo group emphasizes the potential non-specific benefits of touch and interaction in the treatment of agitation in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Aromatherapy as a Safe and Effective Treatment for the Management of Agitation in Severe Dementia: The Results of a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial With Melissa - Ballard

Method: Seventy-two people residing in National Health Service (U.K.) care facilities who had clinically significant agitation in the context of severe dementia were randomly assigned to aromatherapy with Melissa essential oil (N = 36) or placebo (sunflower oil) (N = 36). The active treatment or placebo oil was combined with a base lotion and applied to patients' faces and arms twice a day by caregiving staff. Changes in clinically significant agitation (Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory [CMAI]) and quality of life indices (percentage of time spent socially withdrawn and percentage of time engaged in constructive activities, measured with Dementia Care Mapping) were compared between the 2 groups over a 4-week period of treatment.

Results: Seventy-one patients completed the trial. No significant side effects were observed. Sixty percent (21/35) of the active treatment group and 14% (5/36) of the placebo-treated group experienced a 30% reduction of CMAI score, with an overall improvement in agitation (mean reduction in CMAI score) of 35% in patients receiving Melissa balm essential oil and 11% in those treated with placebo (Mann-Whitney U test; Z = 4.1, p < .0001). Quality of life indices also improved significantly more in people receiving essential balm oil (Mann-Whitney U test; percentage of time spent socially withdrawn: Z = 2.6, p = .005; percentage of time engaged in constructive activities: Z = 3.5, p = .001).

Conclusion: The finding that aromatherapy with essential balm oil is a safe and effective treatment for clinically significant agitation in people with severe dementia, with additional benefits for key quality of life parameters, indicates the need for further controlled trials.