Deficit schizophrenia (DS) with persistent, primary negative symptoms has a confirmed neuroanatomical background, similarly to structures involved in olfaction. Olfactory dysfunction, which includes impaired odor identification, is found in patients with schizophrenia and their family members.

A group of 82 patients with DS and 72 patients with NDS (nondeficit forms of schizophrenia), somatically healthy and without acute psychotic symptoms were subjected to smell identification test using the 16-item Sniffin’ Sticks ID test. Demographic and psychometric data were collected.

No differences in the course of the illness, perinatal history and demographic data were found between the DS and NDS groups. No differences in the number of correctly identified odor samples were found. Some differences in the qualitative identification of samples between DS and NDS were found in the groups of female (fewer correct identifications of cinnamon and pineapple smells in DS) and male patients (fewer correct identifications of the smell of rose and more correct identifications of the smell of orange than in NDS).