Internet and Psychiatry
  • Home
    • Editorials
    • Research news
    • Research papers
    • Interviews with eminent psychiatrists
    • Ten years ago
    • Fifteen years ago
  • Topics
    • Alcohol and Drug Abuse
    • Anxiety Disorders
    • Biomedical Science
    • Compulsive gambling
    • Disaster Medicine
    • Education
    • General Medicine
      • Acupuncture
      • Physical medicine and Rehabilitation
    • Human Rights
    • Interviews with eminent psychiatrists
    • Mood Disorders
      • Bipolar Disorder
      • Depression
      • Seasonal Affective Disorder
    • Neurological Disorders
    • Other Psychiatric Disorders
    • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
    • Sexual Behavior
  • Books
    • Comorbidity of Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders
    • “Immigration and Mental Health” chapter abstracts
    • “Internet and Suicide” chapter abstracts
    • “Neurobiology of PTSD” chapter abstracts
    • “Suicidal Behavior in Alcohol…” chapter abstracts
    • “Suicide in the Military” chapter abstracts
    • “Terror and Suicide” chapter abstracts
    • “War and Suicide” chapter abstracts
  • Editors
    • Leo Sher, M.D.
    • Alexander Vilens, M.S.
  • Guests
    • Distinguished Guests
    • Our Contributors
  • Reflections
    • Poetry
    • Quotes

Twenty years ago

Patients with seasonal affective disorder and odor detection thresholds

December 1, 2022

Leo Sher, M.D.

Our research work, “Patients with seasonal affective disorder have lower odor detection thresholds than control subjects” was published 20 years ago in the December 2002 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry (1).

Behavioral changes in patients with seasonal affective disorder resemble seasonal changes in photoperiodic animals. The olfactory system has a modulatory role in seasonal photoperiodic responses in certain species. Therefore, we hypothesized that olfactory function may differ between patients with seasonal affective disorder and healthy control subjects. More specifically, we hypothesized that the olfactory acuity of patients with seasonal affective disorder would differ from healthy control subjects.

Patients with winter seasonal affective disorder and healthy volunteers were studied once in winter and once in the subsequent summer. Patients and controls had to be physically healthy. We administered a phenyl ethyl alcohol detection threshold test to each side of the nose in a counterbalanced order, with the nostril contralateral to the tested site occluded.

The patients exhibited lower thresholds than did the healthy controls. Detection thresholds were not significantly related to age, gender, side-of-the-nose, season, or their interactions. One or more coexisting physiologic and clinical features of seasonal affective disorder may be associated with a more acute sense of smell.

Reference

  1. Postolache TT, Wehr TA, Doty RL, Sher L, Turner EH, Bartko JJ, Rosenthal NE. Patients with seasonal affective disorder have lower odor detection thresholds than control subjects. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002 Dec;59(12):1119-22. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.59.12.1119.

Related Posts

Twenty years ago /

CSF HVA concentrations in depressed individuals with or without a history of alcoholism and healthy controls

Twenty years ago /

A study of prolactin response to fenfluramine administration in patients with unipolar and bipolar depression and healthy controls

Twenty years ago /

A longer biological night in long sleepers compared to short sleepers

‹ Mortality in patients with schizophrenia: a review and meta-analysis › Best universities in the world

Editorials

  • Suicide in combat veterans
  • Navigating ethical dilemmas in genetic testing for Huntington’s Disease
  • Loneliness: Surgeon General Dr. Murthy’s warning
  • Intranasal esketamine ought to be more widely available

Research Papers

  • COVID-19 mortality in Europe and the ’Iron Curtain’ between East and West
  • Examination of depressive signs and symptoms among 803 University students in seven Universities and Colleges. Hungary, Romania, Serbia.
  • Examination of spirituality and the dimensions of spirituality among 803 students in seven different Universities. Hungary, Romania and Serbia.
  • Examination of depressive signs and symptoms among 932 students in eight different secondary schools in Hungary

Research News

  • Regular sleep patterns are more important to health and longevity than spending eight hours in bed
  • Age and antisuicidal effect of lithium
  • Obesity is associated with increased risk for psychiatric disorders
  • The effect of multivitamin supplementation on memory in older adults

Latest News

  • Suicide rates in the United States in 2022
  • Suicide rates in the United States in 2001-2021
  • Leading world experts on suicide. Expertscape, the January 9, 2023, report
  • Best universities in the world

Interviews with eminent psychiatrists

  • Interview with Professor Shih-Ku Lin
  • Interview with Professor Masahito Fushimi
  • Interview with Professor Maurizio Pompili
  • Interview with Professor Marco Sarchiapone

Ten Years Ago

  • Combined dexamethasone suppression-corticotrophin-releasing hormone stimulation test in medication-free individuals with major depression and healthy controls
  • Plasma testosterone levels in bipolar suicide attempters
  • Teaching medical professionals and trainees about suicide prevention
  • Suicidal ideation in depressed patients with or without comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Back to Top

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Copyright © 2023 AVCalc LLC. All rights reserved worldwide.