Navrhovaná studie proveditelnosti využívá aplikaci „OCD dům“, vytvořenou v prostředí virtuální reality (VR) pro expoziční terapii u pacien- tů s obsedantně-kompulzivní poruchou (OCD). Metoda byla vyvinuta na základě dimenzionálního přístupu k symptomatologii OCD, který vyčleňuje čtyři podtypy: „kontaminace/čištění“, „symetrie/uspořádání“, „strach z poškození/kontrola“ a „hromadění“. Cílem probíhající studie proveditelnosti je ověřit účinnosti již dříve validované expoziční metody ve spojení s čichovou stimulací. Předpokládáme, že čichová stimulace během expozice ve VR zvýší vnímanou realističnost a potenciálně také intenzitu symptomů vyvolaných touto čichově obohacenou simulací.
The proposed feasibility study uses the application "OCD house" created in a virtual reality (VR) environment for exposure therapy in pati- ents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The method was designed based on a dimensional approach to OCD symptomatology, which distinguishes four subtypes: 'contamination/cleaning', 'symmetry/ordering', 'fear of harm/checking' and 'hoarding'. An ongoing feasibility study aims to test the previously validated exposure method in combination with olfactory stimulation. We hypothesize that olfactory stimu- lation during exposure in VR will increase the perceived level of immersion in the environment and potentially also the assessed intensity of symptoms induced by this olfactory-enriched simulation.
Chemosensory learning is a lifelong process of acquiring perceptual expertise and semantic knowledge about chemical stimuli within the everyday environment. In the research context, it is usually simulated using olfactory training, which typically involves repeated exposure to a set of odors over a period of time. Following olfactory training, enhanced olfactory performance has been observed in adults, and similar evidence is beginning to emerge in children. However, the literature is scant concerning the effects of interventions that more closely resemble how chemosensory experience is acquired in daily life. Since children's chemosensory ecology appears to play a crucial role in olfactory development, we investigated whether engaging in activities that stimulate the chemical senses enhances olfactory performance and metacognition. To this end, we invited 20 children aged 9-11 years to participate in teacher-assisted after-school activities for 30-60 minutes a day for six weeks. During the odd weeks, the children appraised herbal and spice blends and used them to prepare dishes and make beauty products. During the even ones, they explored the city by smellwalking and created smellscape maps. The educational outcomes were evaluated using the Sniffin' Sticks test for odor identification and discrimination and the Children's Personal Significance of Olfaction. Bayesian analyses did not reveal any compelling evidence in support of the alternative hypothesis that children in the chemosensory education group outperform those in the comparison group at the post-test. Rates of reliable increase but also decrease in performance on the Sniffin' Sticks identification and discrimination tests were similar in both groups. We corroborated the previous findings regarding girls' and older children's greater proficiency at identifying odors and the female keener interest in the sense of smell. We offer several practical suggestions researchers may want to consider to tailor their research protocols to reflect more closely the broader context in which chemosensory learning takes place and better capture the nuanced outcomes of such interventions.
- MeSH
- Bayesova věta MeSH
- čich * fyziologie MeSH
- čichová percepce * fyziologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- odoranty * MeSH
- školy MeSH
- učení fyziologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Cíl: Cílem studie bylo zhodnotit vliv konkrétní diagnózy neplodných žen a mužů na jejich kvalitu života a psychosexuální fungování pomocí mezinárodně validovaných dotazníků. Soubor a metodika: Dotazníkovou baterii pro pacienty vyplnilo celkem 853 párů, které vyhledaly lékařskou pomoc z důvodu neplodnosti. Oba partneři vyplnili dotazník Fertility Quality of Life tool (FertiQoL), ženy dále Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) a muži Brief Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI). Ženy byly sledovány ve skupině primární a sekundární sterility, dále s konkrétními diagnózami – syndrom polycystických ovarií, tubární faktor, endometrióza a idiopatická sterilita. Muži byli zařazeni dle výsledku spermiogramu do kategorií normozoospermie, sloučené kategorie mírnějších poruch spermiogramu (teratozoospermie, astenozoospermie, oligozoospermie a oligoastenoteratozoospermie), oligoastenoteratozoospermie (OAT) gravis, azoospermie a kategorie, kdy muž nebyl dosud vyšetřen. Výsledky: Při hodnocení kvality života jsme u žen nalezli statisticky významné rozdíly zejména mezi primární a sekundární sterilitou. Primárně neplodné ženy skórovaly hůře především v sociální oblasti. Horší hodnocení se objevilo i v tzv. mind-body (oblast hodnotící zasažení tělesné stránky). V emocionální a vztahové doméně měly primárně a sekundárně neplodné ženy výsledky podobné. U konkrétních diagnóz se nám statisticky významné rozdíly nepodařilo prokázat. Při použití orientačního cut off skóre FertiQoL můžeme konstatovat, že přibližně 10 % žen vnímalo svou kvalitu života ve vztahu k fertilitě jako špatnou. V oblasti sexuálního fungování vykazovalo 30 % žen klinicky významné dysfunkce. Muži v kategorii normozoospermie a nevyšetření skórovali na obou nástrojích (FertiQoL, BSFI) celkově výše než muži ve sloučené kategorii a OAT gravis. Jako špatnou kvalitu života ve spojitosti s fertilitou označila pouze 2 % mužů, klinicky významné sexuální dysfunkce pouze 3 % mužů. Závěr: U žen jsme při hodnocení kvality života prokázali vliv zejména primární sterility, kde je postižena nejsilněji sociální doména. Vliv ostatních konkrétních diagnóz se jeví jako velmi malý. U žen byla nalezena vysoká úroveň sexuálních dysfunkcí. U mužů sledujeme vazbu hodnocené kvality života a sexuálního fungování ve spojitosti s výsledkem spermiogramu. Při zhoršeném spermiogramu mohou být postiženy obě oblasti fungování.
Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of a specific diagnosis of infertile women and men on their life quality and psychosexual functioning based on internationally validated questionnaires. Materials and methods: A total of 853 couples seeking treatment for infertility completed the gender-specific batteries comprised of Fertility Quality of Life tool (FertiQoL), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in women, and Brief Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI) in men. Women were followed in the group of primary and secondary infertility and then with specific diagnoses – polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal factor, endometriosis, and idiopathic sterility. Men’s categories reflected spermiogram results, i.e., normozoospermia, merged categories of milder disorders of a spermiogram (teratozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and oligoasthenoteratospermia), oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT) gravis, azoospermia, and when the man was not examined. Results: When evaluating the quality of life in women, we found statistically significant differences between primary and secondary sterility. Primary infertile women scored worse especially in the social area. Worse assessment appeared also in mind-body (area evaluating affliction of the body). Emotional and relational domains included similar results in primary and secondary infertile women. With a specific diagnosis, statistically significant differences were not proved. Using the orientational cut-off score, FertiQoL stated that approximately 10% of women experienced adverse quality of life in relation to fertility. In the domain of sexual functioning, 30% of women demonstrated clinically significant dysfunctions. In men, respondents in the normozoospermic and non-diagnosed categories scored higher than those in the merged category and OAT gravis. Only 2% of men felt their quality of life was poor due to fertility, and clinically significant dysfunctions appeared only in 3% of them. Conclusion: In women, impaired fertility-related quality of life and psychosexual functioning are significantly linked to primary sterility, where specifically the social domain is affected. The impact of a specific diagnosis appears to be minimal. We found high levels of sexual dysfunctions in women. In men, we follow the link of evaluated quality of life in connection with their results of the spermiogram. With spermiogram defects, both areas of functioning can be affected.
Olfactory and cognitive performance share neural correlates profoundly affected by physiological aging. However, whether odor identification and discrimination scores predict global cognitive status and executive function in healthy older people with intact cognition is unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we set out to elucidate these links in a convenience sample of 204 independently living, cognitively intact healthy Czech adults aged 77.4 ± 8.7 (61-97 years) over two waves of data collection (one-year interval). We used the Czech versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to evaluate global cognition, and the Prague Stroop Test (PST), Trail Making Test (TMT), and several verbal fluency (VF) tests to assess executive function. As a subsidiary aim, we aimed to examine the contribution of olfactory performance towards achieving a MoCA score above vs. below the published cut-off value. We found that the MoCA scores exhibited moderate associations with both odor identification and discrimination. Furthermore, odor identification significantly predicted PST C and C/D scores. Odor discrimination significantly predicted PST C/D, TMT B/A, and standardized composite VF scores. Our findings demonstrate that olfaction, on the one hand, and global cognition and executive function, on the other, are related even in healthy older people.
- MeSH
- čich fyziologie MeSH
- čichová percepce fyziologie MeSH
- diskriminace (psychologie) * fyziologie MeSH
- exekutivní funkce * fyziologie MeSH
- kognice * fyziologie MeSH
- kognitivní dysfunkce patofyziologie diagnóza MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy MeSH
- odoranty * MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- stárnutí * fyziologie MeSH
- testy pro posouzení mentálních funkcí a demence MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Puberty tends to be viewed as a "turning point" in hedonic perception of body odor (BO)-related smells. The pubertal stage, a potential proxy for the underlying physiological changes, may contribute to variation in odor hedonic perception. Other potential modulators of odor hedonics are general semantic knowledge about odors (which also tends to be subsumed under the term "age") and perceived odor intensity. The present cross-sectional study examined differences in hedonic odor perception across puberty in 205 Czech children aged 11-14 (89 boys). We investigated whether children differ in the hedonic appraisal of BO-related (16-androstenes and castoreum control), but also food and non-food odors according to their pubertal (penis/breast and pubic hair) development and general semantic knowledge about odors (operationalized as odor identification), controlling for age and perceived odor intensity. As a subsidiary aim, we examined variation in odor identification. We asked the children to self-stage themselves using drawings depicting Tanner's penis/breast and pubic hair stages of pubertal development, estimated their general semantic knowledge about odors with a Sniffin' Sticks identification test, and obtained their pleasantness and intensity ratings of body odor-related, food, a non-food smells. We found that the participants' ratings of the 16-androstenes and those of the perceptually similar odor of castoreum differed according to perceived intensity and, in the latter case, in boys vs. girls as well, but there were no influences of pubertal status or odor identification on the perceived pleasantness. Similarly, hedonic appraisal of non-food (but not food) odors was only influenced by perceived intensity. Regarding odor identification, differences between boys and girls were limited to younger children and did not become more marked throughout puberty. Perceived pleasantness of odors, irrespective of whether they are associated with body smells, food, or other, does not appear to vary across puberty, and boys and girls seem to achieve similar levels of semantic odor knowledge as they grow up.
- MeSH
- čich * fyziologie MeSH
- čichová percepce fyziologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- odoranty * MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- puberta * fyziologie psychologie MeSH
- radost fyziologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Individuals with paraphilic interests in sexual violence or children may be more likely to sexually offend if they possess offense-supportive cognitions. These cognitions may develop in response to childhood adversity. However, this idea is largely based on research in men convicted of sexual offenses and may not generalize to non-incarcerated adults with paraphilic interests. In a sample of 178 adults screened for paraphilic interests in violence or children (from the general Czech population), we hypothesized that childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect would be associated with offense-supportive cognitions about rape and child molestation. Participants came from a nationally representative sample of Czech adults and were selected if they self-reported high levels of sexual interest in violence and/or children. Participants completed an online survey with self-report measures of sexual orientation, offense-supportive cognitions (Bumby RAPE and MOLEST scales), and childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire). Controlling for gender, age, and sexual orientation, we found that both rape-supportive cognitions and child molestation-supportive cognitions were significantly associated with higher levels of childhood sexual abuse, but not emotional neglect. These findings indicate that childhood sexual abuse may lead to offense-supportive cognitions among men and women with paraphilia.
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí s anamnézou domácího násilí nebo sexuálního zneužívání v dětství psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- kognice * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- nepříznivé zkušenosti z dětství psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- parafilie psychologie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- sexuální chování psychologie MeSH
- sexuální delikty psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- sexuální zneužívání dítěte psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- znásilnění psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Previous laboratory research has shown that exposure to odours of contrasting pleasantness during sleep differentially affects the emotional tone of dreams. In the present study, we sought to investigate how a generally pleasant (vanillin) and unpleasant (thioglycolic acid [TGA]) smell influenced various dream characteristics, dream emotions, and post-sleep core affect during all-night exposure, controlling for appraisal of the olfactory environment during the assessments and sleep stage from which the participants woke up. We expected that exposure to vanillin would result in more pleasant dreams, more positive and less negative dream emotions, and a more positive post-sleep core affect compared to the control condition, whereas exposure to TGA would have the opposite effect. Sixty healthy volunteers (36 males, mean age 24 ± 4 years) were invited to visit the sleep laboratory three times in weekly intervals. The first visit served to adapt the participants to the laboratory environment. On the second visit, half the participants were exposed to an odour (vanillin or TGA, 1:1) and the other half to the odourless control condition. On the third visit, they received control or exposure in a balanced order. On each visit, the participants woke up twice, first from the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage and then in the morning, usually from a non-REM sleep stage. Repeated measures were taken upon each awakening. Dream pleasantness, emotional charge of the dream, positive and negative emotions experienced in the dream, and four dimensions of post-sleep core affect (valence, activation, pleasant activation - unpleasant deactivation, and unpleasant activation - pleasant deactivation) were assessed. We found a small effect of condition (exposure vs. control) in interaction with appraisal of the ambient olfactory environment on dream pleasantness. Specifically, false alarms (i.e., perceiving odour in the absence of the target stimulus) were associated with lower dream pleasantness than correct rejections. Although exposure had a statistically significant positive influence on post-sleep core affect (namely, valence, activation, and pleasant activation - unpleasant deactivation), the size of the effect was small and lacked practical significance. The hypothesised differential effects of vanillin and TGA were only modelled for dream ratings because they decreased the fit of the other models. Neither dream pleasantness nor emotionality differed according to the odour used for stimulation. The results of the present study suggest that all-night exposure to odours is unlikely to produce practically significant positive effects on dreams and post-sleep core affect.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- emoce MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- odoranty * MeSH
- sny * MeSH
- spánek REM MeSH
- stadia spánku MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Zahájení kojení je komplexní proces ovlivňovaný nejen fyziologickými procesy a chováním matky, ale i reakcemi novorozence. Při vyhledávání prsu novorozencem hrají, mimo taktilních, vizuálních a chuťových vodítek, klíčovou roli čichové podněty z mateřského mléka a sekrece žláz nacházejících se na areole. Hlavním cílem tohoto přehledového článku je představit dosavadní poznatky o čichové komunikaci mezi matkou a novorozencem v souvislosti se zahájením kojení a v neposlední řadě poukázat na možné využití čichových podnětů v poporodní péči mimo jiné k uklidňování rozrušených novorozenců, podpoře příjmu potravy a zlepšení jejich zdravotního stavu, a to především u dětí s problémy s kojením a u předčasně narozených dětí. Vůně mateřského mléka a prsu kojících žen (zejména pak vlastní matky) v závislosti na kontextu může snižovat rozrušení novorozenců, ale i zvyšovat apetitivní orální aktivitu. Specifické pozitivní reakce pak vyvolává vonná sekrece Montgomeryho žláz, a to nezávisle na dosavadní postnatální zkušenosti. Tyto vůně by tak mohly hrát roli při navádění novorozence k prsu a zahájení kojení.
The initiation of lactation is a complex process influenced not only by physiological processes and mother's behaviour, but also by newborn's activity. Apart from various tactile, visual, and gustatory cues, a key role in breast localisation is played by olfactory cues originating from breast milk and areola glands secretion. The main aim of this review is to summarise the current knowledge about the role of chemical communication between a mother and her infant related to the initiation of lactation and suggest a possible clinical use of odours in postnatal care. For instance, to soothe distressed newborns, enhance feeding and improve their health status, especially in infants experiencing breastfeeding problems or pre-term ones. The odour of breast milk and breast of lactating females (particularly the infant's own mother) has a soothing effect on newborns, but it also increases an appetitive oral activity in a context-dependent manner. Specific positive responses are elicited by the secretion of Montgomery glands' regardless of the newborns' prior postnatal experience. These odours may thus play a role in the coordination of neonatal actions towards the breast and the initiation of lactation.
- Klíčová slova
- Montgomeryho žlázy,
- MeSH
- kojení * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mateřské mléko * MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- odoranty * MeSH
- předčasný porod MeSH
- prsní bradavky MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Mental activity in sleep often involves visual and auditory content. Chemosensory (olfactory and gustatory) experiences are less common and underexplored. The aim of the study was to identify olfaction-related factors that may affect the occurrence of chemosensory dream content. Specifically, we investigated the effects of all-night exposure to an ambient odour, participants' appraisal of their current olfactory environment, their general propensity to notice odours and act on them (i.e., odour awareness), and their olfactory acuity. Sixty pre-screened healthy young adults underwent olfactory assessment, completed a measure of odour awareness, and spent three nights in weekly intervals in a sleep laboratory. The purpose of the first visit was to adapt to the experimental setting. On the second visit, half of them were exposed to the smell of vanillin or thioglycolic acid and the other half to an odourless control condition. On the third visit, they received control or stimulation in a balanced order. On each visit, data were collected twice: once from the first rapid eye movement (REM) stage that occurred after 3 a.m., and then shortly before getting up, usually from a non-REM stage. Participants were asked to report the presence of sensory dream content and to assess their current olfactory environment. Neither exposure, nor participants' assessments of the ambient odour, or olfactory acuity affected reports of chemosensory dream content but they were more frequent in individuals with greater odour awareness. This finding may have implications for treatment when such experiences become unwanted or bothersome.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
