Evidence for genetic determination in human twins of olfactory thresholds for a standard odorant

Gross‐Isseroff, Ruth; Ophir, Dov; Bartana, Atida; Voet, Hillary; Lancet, Doron

doi:10.1016/0304-3940(92)90347-a

Cited by 51 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…As with many other sensory capacities, olfactory abilities, in general, decrease relatively constantly with age (Doty 1992). Further, results of twin studies suggest that, at least for some compounds, there is a relatively strong heritable component to threshold levels (Gross-Isseroff et al 1992). There is also a robust body of evidence indicating that, on average, women outperform their male counterparts in various odour tests (Brand and Millot 2001;Doty and Cameron 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Olfactory abilities show a high degree of inter-individual variability and this could be partly related to personality differences. Here, in two studies, we tested a potential link between personality dimensions and olfactory perception. Sixty-eight (study 1) and a hundred and fifty-six (study 2) young adults completed the Big Five questionnaire and performed the Sniffin' Sticks test for assessing odour threshold, identification, and (in study 2) discrimination. In neither study did we find a significant link between personality dimensions and olfactory identification scores. However, in study 1, we found a significant positive correlation between the neuroticism dimension and olfactory sensitivity. This was mainly due to the anxiety and self-consciousness subscales, which load onto the neuroticism dimension. In a follow-up study, we again found a significant association between anxiety and odour perception, specifically in odour discrimination. Our results indicate that variability in anxiety could partly explain the high inter-individual variation in olfactory perception.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

et al. 2012

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“…Evidence for heritability of androstenone anosmia has been found in earlier studies (Wysocki and Beauchamp 1984;Gross-Isseroff et al 1992;Pause et al 1998). Recently, Keller et al (2007) demonstrated that individuals who were homozygous for an allele of odorant receptor OR7D4 gene experienced the odor of androstenone as more intense and more unpleasant than other subjects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…However, the magnitude of the genetic effects on subjective perceptions at a population level has not been quantified to date. The earlier twin studies (Wysocki and Beauchamp 1984;Gross-Isseroff et al 1992;Pause et al 1998) Fig. 1 Distributions of intensity (a) and pleasantness (b) ratings for androstenone and citronellal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Intraclass correlations of MZ twins were higher than those of DZ twins in studies by Wysocki and Beauchamp (1984;17 MZ and 21 DZ pairs), Gross-Isseroff et al (1992;17 MZ and 15 DZ pairs), and Pause et al (1998;15 MZ and 15 DZ pairs), indicating that androstenone perception is in part genetically determined. However, no estimate for the relative contribution of genetic effects has been reported to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

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Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Perceived Intensity and Pleasantness of Androstenone Odor: An International Twin Study

et al. 2008

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We estimated the genetic and environmental components of variation in perceived intensity and pleasantness of androstenone, an odorous compound showing specific anosmia, by modeling twin data from Finland, Denmark, the UK, and Australia. The pooled data comprised 917 twin individuals (338 are male and 579 are female; aged from 10 to 83years) including 126 complete monozygous and 264 dizygous twin pairs as well as 137 twin individuals without their co-twin. They rated intensity and pleasantness of androstenone and citronellal (control) odors using nine categories. Additive genetic effects (heritability) contributed 28 and 21% to the variation in the perceived intensity and pleasantness of androstenone, respectively, but negligibly to variations in citronellal perception. A strong genetic correlation existed between the intensity and pleasantness of androstenone, whereas the Chem. Percept. (2008) environmental correlation was negligible. These results suggest that both intensity and pleasantness of androstenone are moderately influenced by genetic factors and that the traits are modified by an overlapping set of genes.

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“…It has indeed been known for decades that human beings are highly variable in their olfactory sensitivities. This interindividual variability is in the form of cases of significant threshold deficiencies towards particular odorants, termed specific anosmia or 'smell blindness' [1, [34][35][36]. Such human deficiencies have been studied for dozens of odorous chemicals [36].…”

Section: Human Olfactory Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Signaling in the Chemosensory Systems

Menashe

Lancet

2006

Cell. Mol. Life Sci.

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Of all five senses, olfaction is the most complex molecular mechanism, as it comprises hundreds of receptor proteins enabling it to detect and discriminate thousands of odorants. Until lately, the understanding of this highly sophisticated sensory neuronal pathway has been rather sketchy. The sequencing of the human genome and the consequent advent of new genomic tools have opened new opportunities to better understand this multifaceted biological system. Here, we present the relevant progresses made in the last decade and highlight the possible genetic mechanisms of human olfactory variability.

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Evidence for genetic determination in human twins of olfactory thresholds for a standard odorant

Cited by 51 publications

References 10 publications

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Perceived Intensity and Pleasantness of Androstenone Odor: An International Twin Study

Signaling in the Chemosensory Systems

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