Strauss Gregory P, Keller William R, Koenig James I, Gold James M, Ossenfort Kathryn L, Buchanan Robert W
Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA.
Maryland Psychiatric Research center and Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Schizophr Res. 2015 Mar;162(1-3):57-61. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.12.023. Epub 2015 Jan 9.
Basic neuroscience research provides strong evidence for the role of oxytocin in olfactory processes and social affiliation in rodents. Given prior indication of olfactory impairments that are linked to greater severity of asociality in schizophrenia, we examined the association between plasma oxytocin levels and measures of olfaction and social outcome in a sample of outpatients with schizophrenia (n=39) and demographically matched healthy controls (n=21). Participants completed the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), and rated each odor for how positive and how negative it made them feel. Results indicated that individuals with schizophrenia had higher plasma oxytocin levels and lower overall accuracy for UPSIT items than controls. Individuals with schizophrenia also reported experiencing more negative emotionality than controls in response to the olfactory stimuli. Lower plasma oxytocin levels were associated with poorer accuracy for pleasant and unpleasant odors and greater severity of asociality in individuals with schizophrenia. These findings suggest that endogenous oxytocin levels may be an important predictor of olfactory identification deficits and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
基础神经科学研究为催产素在啮齿动物嗅觉过程和社会依恋中的作用提供了有力证据。鉴于先前有迹象表明嗅觉障碍与精神分裂症中社交障碍的严重程度增加有关，我们在一组精神分裂症门诊患者（n = 39）和人口统计学匹配的健康对照者（n = 21）中，研究了血浆催产素水平与嗅觉测量指标及社会结局之间的关联。参与者完成了40项的宾夕法尼亚大学嗅觉识别测试（UPSIT），并对每种气味给他们带来的积极和消极感受进行评分。结果表明，与对照组相比，精神分裂症患者的血浆催产素水平更高，UPSIT项目的总体准确率更低。精神分裂症患者对嗅觉刺激的反应也比对照组报告有更多的负面情绪。血浆催产素水平较低与精神分裂症患者对愉悦和不愉快气味的识别准确率较低以及社交障碍的严重程度较高有关。这些发现表明，内源性催产素水平可能是精神分裂症中嗅觉识别缺陷和阴性症状的重要预测指标。
