Postnatal predator exposure reduces fear and anxiety behaviors in adult mice

Poster; Predator cues are very efficient to induce fear in rodents but most studies use adult subjects and not pups. Nevertheless, a perinatal stress can have a significant effect on behavior and on physiology at adulthood. An early stress (foot shock, restraint, mother separation) is able to modulate behaviors later and the aim of this study was to examine if the synthetic predator odor 2,3,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) presented to neonates modifies fear and anxiety-related behaviors in adult female mice.

Differential threshold in olfaction depends on trigeminal component of odorants

Poster

Impact of an olfactory and auditory priming on the attraction towards foods with high energy density

Introduction: Recent research in food science suggests that unconscious processes may influence a significant part of consumers’ food choices. Studies of Gaillet and collaborators (Gaillet, Sulmont-Rossé, Issanchou, Chabanet, Chambaron, 2013; 2014) demonstrated that non-attentively perceived fruity odours impact food choice, guiding participants toward items containing more fruit and/or vegetables. Objectives: The first objective is to determine if another kind of odour, such as a sweet-fatty odour, could increase food choices towards high energy density foods. The second objective is to compare the effect of an olfactory cue to the effect of an auditory nutritional message.

Sensory functions and Alzheimer's disease: a multi-disciplinary approach

Relations between sensory functions and Alzheimer's disease are still under-explored. To understand them better, the Fondation Médéric Alzheimer has brought together a multi-disciplinary expert group. Aristote's five senses must be enhanced by today's knowledge of proprioception, motor cognition and pain perception. When cognition breaks down, the person with dementia perceives the world around her with her sensory experience, yet is unable to integrate all this information to understand the context. The treatment of multiple sensory inputs by the brain is closely linked to cognitive processes. Sensory deficits reduce considerably the autonomy of people with dementia in their daily life and…

L’olfaction dans les troubles dépressifs : intérêts et perspectives

International audience; Research on sensorial interactions with psychiatric diseases and particularly with the depressive syndrome has mainly focused on visual or auditory processes and much less on olfaction. The depressive illness is one of the most frequent psychiatric diagnoses in the community, with approximately one in five women and one in eight men experiencing a major depressive episode during their lifetime. Although genetic, epigenetic, neuroanatomical, neurochemical, neuroendocrinological and neuroimmunological changes can be detected during depression, the etiology of depression remains partly unclear. The current explanatory models are based on two main factors, i.e. pharmacol…

Olfactory sensitivity in elderly with Parkinson's disease

Is there a link between perceived flavor intensity and food intake?

Is there a link between perceived flavor intensity and food intake?. 24. Annual Meeting of the European-Chemoreception-Research-Organization (ECRO)

Les mécanismes olfactifs dans la dépression

Postnatal exposure to predator odor induces modification in fear-related behaviors at adulthood without changers in corticosterone levels

Environmental stimuli and adverse experiences in early life may result in behavioral and physiological changes in adulthood. In several animal species, the odors cues are crucial in the setting of adaptive behaviors, especially towards predators. However, little is known about the effects of postnatal exposure to predator odor on the later physiological and behavioral responses to this natural stressor. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a postnatal exposure to synthethic predator odor (TMT) in mice pups on later adult fear-related behaviors and corticosterone levels in response to this specific stimulus. Compared to pups only postnatally exposed to water, results…

A la découverte des odeurs

Often taken for granted, the sense of smell has seldom been discussed or understood. However, since the start of the 20th Century, studies in this area have grown exponentially and today there is a greater understanding of the olfactory system – at both structural and functional levels. Scientists now concern themselves with questions about the holistic nature of our sense of smell and are investigating the role of odors in interpersonal relations, in food intake processes, in the diagnosis of certain illnesses, and many other areas. The beginnings of this knowledge are as fascinating as they are abundant and numerous disciplines are involved: psychology, physiology, genetics, neuroscience,…