Open AccessOverrated hedonic judgment of odors in patients with schizophrenia
Author(s) -
UrbanKowalczyk Małgorzata,
Śmigielski Janusz,
KotlickaAntczak Magdalena
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
cns neuroscience and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1755-5949
pISSN - 1755-5930
DOI - 10.1111/cns.12849
Subject(s) - odor , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychology , olfaction , association (psychology) , identification (biology) , psychosis , anhedonia , audiology , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , neuroscience , botany , psychotherapist , biology
Summary Aims The odor identification ability and its hedonic judgment in patients with schizophrenia were evaluated in the study. The association between olfactory performance and negative symptoms and β‐endorphin concentration was also analyzed. Methods Study groups consisted of 23 patients with negative symptoms ( PN ) and 25 without predominant negative symptoms ( PP ) and 21 healthy individuals. The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, odor hedonic evaluation, and plasma concentrations of β‐endorphin assay in all participants were performed. Results PN perceived the poorer olfactory identification; nevertheless, they evaluated unpleasant odors as more pleasant than PP and controls. Beta‐endorphin concentration was significantly higher among PN than in other study groups. No association was observed between β‐endorphin and odors identification and odor hedonic judgment among all study groups. Conclusions There is potential relationship between increased β‐endorphin concentration and severity of negative symptoms. Patients with predominant negative symptoms tend to evaluate odors as significantly more pleasant. Individuals with this subtype of schizophrenia might present specific, altered pattern of smell identification and hedonic judgment. Presumably, β‐endorphin has no direct influence on olfactory identification performance and hedonic judgment in schizophrenia.