Pregnant women exhibit decreased trigeminal sensitivity
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Contributors
Abstract
Introduction: Chemosensory function in pregnant women is far from being fully understood due to the lack of data and inconsistencies between the results of self-reports and objective studies. Methods: In the present study in pregnant and non-pregnant women (npregnant = 14, nnon-pregnant = 13), we measured EEG-derived electrophysiological response measures supported by psychophysical olfactory and trigeminal tests. Results: Results indicate that the olfactory event-related potential amplitudes or latencies of the P1, N1, and P2 components remain unchanged in pregnant women. In accordance with these findings, no difference was observed between pregnant and non-pregnant women in psychophysical olfactory tests. However, pregnant women displayed a lower degree of sensitivity to trigeminal stimuli compared to non-pregnant controls, which was also reflected in the electrophysiological responses to trigeminal stimuli. Conclusion: Counterintuitive as they may seem, our findings demonstrate a “flattening” of chemosomatosensory responses. Psychological processes occurring during pregnancy, such as changes in socioemotional perception of odors resulting from the diminished stress response, may provide a background to these results. Overall, the present results indicate the absence of major differences between non-pregnant and pregnant women in terms of measured olfactory function though chemosomatosensory function of the pregnant women appears to be decreased.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | e3597 |
Journal | Brain and behavior |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 7 |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2024 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 38956811 |
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ORCID | /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/163766502 |
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- olfaction, pregnancy, trigeminal