Odor perception in alexithymic patients.
Alexithymia is characterized by a marked inability to identify feelings and emotional states and some studies have documented sensorial perception in response to visual or auditory cues in this disease. Although olfaction is well known for its emotional correlates, the perception of olfactory stimulations has not been previously investigated. This study compares with standard psychophysical methods the olfactory sensitivity and the self-ratings of intensity and hedonic valence of a panel of odorants in alexithymic patients, non-alexithymic patients and control subjects. Results show that alexithymics over-evaluate intensity and pleasantness of odorants compared to non-alexithymics or control subjects. This could be interpreted in the framework of a lack of inhibitory control including this particular sense.
Lombion
Sandrine
S
Laboratoire de Neurosciences, 1 Place Leclerc - Université de Franche-Comté, 25030 Cedex, Besançon, France.
Bechetoille
Blandine
B
Nezelof
Sylvie
S
Millot
Jean-Louis
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009812:Odorants; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult