The effect of situational anxiety on olfactory perception using event-related potentials: preliminary results.
Thu-P1-026
Presented by: Olivier Fortier-Lebel
Study Objectives:
Anxiety can influence cognitive or sensory tasks. However, few studies have examined the influence of situational anxiety on olfaction, and none have used olfactory event-related potentials to measure olfactory functioning. It has been proposed that the olfactory component P3, a latent component reflecting conscious perception, may be an indicator of emotional engagement following olfactory stimulation. This research attempts to elucidate whether there is an association between situational anxiety and the amplitude and latency of the P3 olfactory component.
Experimental Methods:
In this study, 14 healthy participants aged 18 to 35 years old, completed a validated questionnaire to measure situational anxiety (STAI) and their brain activity was recorded during 40 olfactory stimulations of rose delivered by a Burghart OL023 olfactometer (used to control airflow, humidity and temperature). The latency and amplitude of the P3 were measured for each participant. Correlations were then made between latencies and amplitudes and situational anxiety scores.
Preliminary Results:
Our preliminary results, on our sample of 14 participants (6 males) with a mean age of 25 years (SD=3), show a negative correlational trend between P3 amplitudes in Fz and situational anxiety scores (rs = -0.417, p = 0.14), and a positive correlational trend between P3 latencies in Cz and situational anxiety scores (rs = -0.463, p = 0.10). With the final sample (including 45 participants), we should reach the power necessary to exhibit a significant relation (0.05).
Conclusion:
This study is important because it provides insight into the association between anxiety and olfaction. Specifically, it suggests that situational anxiety may be an important factor to consider in olfactory evaluation, as the shape of latent components, such as the P3, may be affected in their latencies and amplitudes.
Anxiety can influence cognitive or sensory tasks. However, few studies have examined the influence of situational anxiety on olfaction, and none have used olfactory event-related potentials to measure olfactory functioning. It has been proposed that the olfactory component P3, a latent component reflecting conscious perception, may be an indicator of emotional engagement following olfactory stimulation. This research attempts to elucidate whether there is an association between situational anxiety and the amplitude and latency of the P3 olfactory component.
Experimental Methods:
In this study, 14 healthy participants aged 18 to 35 years old, completed a validated questionnaire to measure situational anxiety (STAI) and their brain activity was recorded during 40 olfactory stimulations of rose delivered by a Burghart OL023 olfactometer (used to control airflow, humidity and temperature). The latency and amplitude of the P3 were measured for each participant. Correlations were then made between latencies and amplitudes and situational anxiety scores.
Preliminary Results:
Our preliminary results, on our sample of 14 participants (6 males) with a mean age of 25 years (SD=3), show a negative correlational trend between P3 amplitudes in Fz and situational anxiety scores (rs = -0.417, p = 0.14), and a positive correlational trend between P3 latencies in Cz and situational anxiety scores (rs = -0.463, p = 0.10). With the final sample (including 45 participants), we should reach the power necessary to exhibit a significant relation (0.05).
Conclusion:
This study is important because it provides insight into the association between anxiety and olfaction. Specifically, it suggests that situational anxiety may be an important factor to consider in olfactory evaluation, as the shape of latent components, such as the P3, may be affected in their latencies and amplitudes.