Acute anosmia in the rat: A behavioral test of a peripherally-induced olfactory deficit

Hooded rats trained to use olfactory cues to locate scented food pellets buried in an open field were unable to do so following bathing of the olfactory mucosa with a 5% zinc sulphate solution. An identical intranasal injection of physiological saline had no effect on performance of the task. This peripherally-induced anosmia lasted from 2 to at least 14 days in different subjects. The advantages of the present technique over surgical ablation of the olfactory bulbs as a means of producing anosmia are discussed.