Chemosignals are a form of communication between conspecifics that can communicate socially relevant information, such as age, sex, health status, and emotional state, which subsequently can modulate the behavior and the affective state of the recipient. The aim of this experimental thesis is to investigate whether happiness and fear chemosegnals can modulate subjective processing and psychophysiological responses of neutral faces in individuals with depressive symptoms. This study, is part of a European project called POTION, led by the University of Pisa and involving several Italian and European universities. We recruited 22 women for the control group and 22 women for the group with symptom of depression, with age between 19 to 35. The task consisted of passive viewing of neutral facial expressions during the presentation of chemosignals of happiness and fear. During the performance of the task, the electroencephalogram (EEG) was measured using a high-density system (256 channels) and from which time-frequency components were extracted in response to neutral faces presented in the three different olfactory conditions (happiness odor, fear odor, clean air). In addition, each image was evaluated through the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) for valence and arousal. The subjective data were analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVAs which showed that the group with symptoms of depression rated the images as more arousing regardless of the odor presented. The time-frequency data were analyzed using a cluster-based approach, which showed, in the control group, there was less beta desynchronization in fronto-central and parieto-occipital area in response to faces presented with the fear odor and happiness odor compared to clean air. No difference emerged between the two odor conditions. In addition, there was a reduction in delta and theta activity in response to neutral faces presented with clean air in the group with depressive symptoms compared with the control group. In contrast, no significant cluster emerged when faces were presented with the chemosignal of fear or happiness.
I chemosegnali sono una forma di comunicazione tra conspecifici in grado di trasmettere informazioni socialmente rilevanti, come età, sesso, stato di salute, stato emotivo, e che possono modulare il comportamento e lo stato affettivo del ricevente. Lo scopo di questa tesi sperimentale è quello di di indagare se i chemosegnali associati a felicità e paura possono modulare l’elaborazione soggettiva e le risposte psicofisiologiche a degli stimoli sociali in individui con sintomi depressivi. Questo studio, è parte di un progetto europeo denominato POTION, guidato dall’università di Pisa che coinvolge varie università italiane ed europee. Per l’esperimento sono state reclutate 22 donne appartenenti al gruppo di controllo e 22 al gruppo di individui con sintomi depressivi, tra i 19 e i 35 anni. Gli stimoli sono stati presentati attraverso un compito di visualizzazione passiva emotiva, in cui ai partecipanti venivano presentate delle immagini di volti con espressione neutra mentre annusavano i chemosegnali umani di felicità e paura. Durante l’esecuzione del compito è stato misurato l’elettroencefalogramma (EEG) utilizzando un sistema ad alta densità (256 canali) e da cui sono state estratte le componenti tempo-frequenza in risposta a volti neutri presentati nelle tre diverse condizioni olfattive (odore di felicità, odore di paura, aria pulita). Inoltre, è stato chiesto di valutare ciascuna immagine attraverso il Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) per valenza e arousal. I dati soggettivi sono stati analizzati con delle ANOVA a misure ripetute, che hanno mostrato come il gruppo dei depressi abbia valutato come più arousing, ovvero come più rilevanti, le immagini indipendentemente dall’odore presentato. I dati tempo-frequenza sono stati analizzati utilizzando un approccio cluster-based, il quale ha evidenziato, nel gruppo di controllo, la presenza di una minore desincronizzazione beta in area fronto-centrale e parieto-occipitale in risposta ai volti presentati con l’odore di paura e con l’odore di felicità rispetto all’aria pulita, mentre non è emersa nessuna differenza tra i due odori. Inoltre, è emersa una riduzione di attività delta e theta in risposta ai volti neutri presentati con l’aria pulita nel gruppo con sintomi depressivi rispetto al gruppo di controllo. Al contrario, non è emerso nessun cluster significativo quando i volti venivano presentati con l’odore di paura o di felicità.
Le risposte psicofisiologiche ai chemosegnali umani negli individui con sintomi depressivi
CORTESE, DENISI
2021/2022
Abstract
Chemosignals are a form of communication between conspecifics that can communicate socially relevant information, such as age, sex, health status, and emotional state, which subsequently can modulate the behavior and the affective state of the recipient. The aim of this experimental thesis is to investigate whether happiness and fear chemosegnals can modulate subjective processing and psychophysiological responses of neutral faces in individuals with depressive symptoms. This study, is part of a European project called POTION, led by the University of Pisa and involving several Italian and European universities. We recruited 22 women for the control group and 22 women for the group with symptom of depression, with age between 19 to 35. The task consisted of passive viewing of neutral facial expressions during the presentation of chemosignals of happiness and fear. During the performance of the task, the electroencephalogram (EEG) was measured using a high-density system (256 channels) and from which time-frequency components were extracted in response to neutral faces presented in the three different olfactory conditions (happiness odor, fear odor, clean air). In addition, each image was evaluated through the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) for valence and arousal. The subjective data were analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVAs which showed that the group with symptoms of depression rated the images as more arousing regardless of the odor presented. The time-frequency data were analyzed using a cluster-based approach, which showed, in the control group, there was less beta desynchronization in fronto-central and parieto-occipital area in response to faces presented with the fear odor and happiness odor compared to clean air. No difference emerged between the two odor conditions. In addition, there was a reduction in delta and theta activity in response to neutral faces presented with clean air in the group with depressive symptoms compared with the control group. In contrast, no significant cluster emerged when faces were presented with the chemosignal of fear or happiness.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/39724