scholarly journals Arousal influences olfactory abilities in adults with different degree of food neophobia

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Menghi ◽  
Iuliia Khomenko ◽  
Michele Pedrotti ◽  
Danny Cliceri ◽  
Eugenio Aprea ◽  
...  

AbstractFood neophobia, i.e., the aversion to novel foods, and olfaction are both factors strongly affecting food choices. Mounting evidence suggests a higher arousal towards food as a key factor underlying the reluctance to eat what is unfamiliar to us. As the role of olfaction behind this phenomenon is poorly understood, we explored the associations between food neophobia and trait anxiety, olfactory functions (odor threshold, discrimination and identification) and retronasal aroma release from a reference food in a healthy cohort of 83 adult volunteers. We grouped participants in Low-Neophobics or neophilics (n = 35), Medium-Neophobics (n = 32) and High-Neophobics (n = 16) according to the widely recognized Food Neophobia Scale. Participants with higher neophobic tendencies were found to have marginally higher trait anxiety levels than neophilics (p = 0.10). A lower global olfactory functioning and odor discrimination abilities characterized High-Neophobics, while Medium-Neophobics showed a higher odor sensitiveness than Low-Neophobics. Lastly, High-Neophobics showed a lower extent of retronasal aroma release, likely due to a shorter duration of oral processing and higher anxiety-related physiological responses (such as breathing rate). In summary, this study supports the assumption that the conflicting relationship that neophobics have with food may be led by higher levels of arousal toward foods, rather than different chemosensory functions.

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (05) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Czibere ◽  
LA Baur-Jaronowski ◽  
P Weber ◽  
B Pütz ◽  
M Panhuysen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S307-S307
Author(s):  
M. Manea ◽  
B. Savu

IntroductionIt is well known that certain personality traits are more linked to drug abuse than others. Psychiatrists are more likely to emphasize the importance of impulsivity in the connection with substance disorders but in the following study we found an important percentage of patients that have a substance abuse were linked to anxiety through impulsiveness as a personality trait.ObjectivesMost youths admitted for a substance abuse are highly impulsive. Our quest was to differentiate what component of impulsivity was more frequently linked to a substance use disorder.MethodsIn the study were included 50 patients admitted in the 3rd Psychiatric Clinic, Substance Dependences Department, Cluj-Napoca. For the identification of the drug abused we used the multitest screening kit in correlation with the results from the Forensic Medicine Institute of Cluj-Napoca. Each patient completed the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and the Swedish Universities Scales of Personality.ResultsHigh scores on BIS-11 strongly correlated with attentional impulsiveness (Pearson's r correlation = .838) which means high inattention and cognitive instability this being linked with anxiety disorders. Cognitive Instability was correlated with Psychic Trait Anxiety (r = 0.29) and Motor Impulsiveness with Somatic Trait Anxiety (r = 0.3). Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE.ConclusionsThe underrecognized anxiety disorders in young adults whom are admitted for an addictive disorder prefrontal cortex is known to be the source of both impulsivity and could be linked to anxiety as well (valence asymmetry hypothesis). Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7765
Author(s):  
Youichirou Higashi ◽  
Takaaki Aratake ◽  
Takahiro Shimizu ◽  
Shogo Shimizu ◽  
Motoaki Saito

Stroke is a major cause of death worldwide, leading to serious disability. Post-ischemic injury, especially in the cerebral ischemia-prone hippocampus, is a serious problem, as it contributes to vascular dementia. Many studies have shown that in the hippocampus, ischemia/reperfusion induces neuronal death through oxidative stress and neuronal zinc (Zn2+) dyshomeostasis. Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in protecting neurons against oxidative stress as a major intracellular antioxidant. In addition, the thiol group of GSH can function as a principal Zn2+ chelator for the maintenance of Zn2+ homeostasis in neurons. These lines of evidence suggest that neuronal GSH levels could be a key factor in post-stroke neuronal survival. In neurons, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is involved in the influx of cysteine, and intracellular cysteine is the rate-limiting substrate for the synthesis of GSH. Recently, several studies have indicated that cysteine uptake through EAAC1 suppresses ischemia-induced neuronal death via the promotion of hippocampal GSH synthesis in ischemic animal models. In this article, we aimed to review and describe the role of GSH in hippocampal neuroprotection after ischemia/reperfusion, focusing on EAAC1.


2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142110273
Author(s):  
Erkan Sülün ◽  
Hüseyin Olgaçer ◽  
Hakkı Cengiz Eren

In this study, the authors evaluated the potential role of an activity-based guitar training program on reducing anxiety and providing fulfillment for younger relatives of cancer patients. Ten active members of KHYD (The Society for Relatives of Cancer Patients), between ages 11 and 17 participated in an 8-week guitar education program. The participants filled out two questionnaires before and after their engagement in the 8-week program, one to measure changes in their anxiety levels (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and the other to measure changes in their general fulfillment levels (Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale). Wilcoxon signed rank test, as well as descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of data. Mean rank differences were observed to be statistically significant with respect to total state and trait anxiety scores; in both cases, the participants’ scores decreased after their engagement in the program. Statistically significant mean rank differences were also observed in the overall MSLSS scores and its “friends” and “environment” sub-dimensions; with respect to these, participants’ scores increased after their engagement in the program. Recommendations for more comprehensive, larger-scale studies are given at the end.


Author(s):  
Jane Dai ◽  
Jeremy Cone ◽  
Jeff Moher

Abstract Background Making decisions about food is a critical part of everyday life and a principal concern for a number of public health issues. Yet, the mechanisms involved in how people decide what to eat are not yet fully understood. Here, we examined the role of visual attention in healthy eating intentions and choices. We conducted two-alternative forced choice tests of competing food stimuli that paired healthy and unhealthy foods that varied in taste preference. We manipulated their perceptual salience such that, in some cases, one food item was more perceptually salient than the other. In addition, we manipulated the cognitive load and time pressure to test the generalizability of the salience effect. Results Manipulating salience had a powerful effect on choice in all situations; even when an unhealthy but tastier food was presented as an alternative, healthy food options were selected more often when they were perceptually salient. Moreover, in a second experiment, food choices on one trial impacted food choices on subsequent trials; when a participant chose the healthy option, they were more likely to choose a healthy option again on the next trial. Furthermore, robust effects of salience on food choice were observed across situations of high cognitive load and time pressure. Conclusions These results have implications both for understanding the mechanisms of food-related decision-making and for implementing interventions that might make it easier for people to make healthy eating choices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Timothy M. Eschle ◽  
Dane McCarrick

Perseverative cognition (PC), consisting of worry and rumination, has been consistently linked to a variety of poorer health outcomes, namely via the worsening of stress-induced health risk behaviours. However, research into PC and unhealthy food choice, a key health behaviour, still remains relatively unexplored. In the current pilot investigation, 284 participants were recruited to take part in an online food choice paradigm before completing the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and the Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI). As a reduced availability of unhealthy snacks has been shown to improve snack choice, participants were randomly allocated to either an even condition (a 3:3 ratio of ≤99 kcal and ≥199 kcal snacks) or an uneven condition (a 4:2 ratio in favour of ≤99 kcal snacks). It was hypothesized that higher levels of PC may predict greater instances of poorer snack choices across, or even within, this paradigm. Despite an increase availability of lower calorie snacks leading to a healthier snack choice, both state and trait PC measures did not significantly influence snack choice irrespective of this varying availability. Although, marginal trends were found for higher state PC and higher calorie crisp selections. The current pilot therefore adds to the growing literature advocating for the use of behavioural economic tactics to engender healthier food choices, yet further work is needed to unpick the mediating role of PC (and its components) in snack consumption paradigms.


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