Perception of Stressful Social Stimuli After Trauma Exposure.

Abnormal Processing of Stressful Social Stimuli After Trauma Exposure, in Particular After Childhood Maltreatment.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with altered processing of sensory stimuli. The clinical phenotype PTSD has predominantly been described for the visual and auditory sensory modalities. However, PTSD symptoms such as intrusive memories are often evoked by olfactory and tactile cues in the environment. Moreover, little is known about whether aberrant responses to social olfactory and tactile stimuli are also present in a subclinical population.The purpose of this study is to compare trauma-exposed subjects (e.g. childhood maltreatment) with non-exposed controls in the processing of olfactory and tactile stimuli. This sensory characterizations hold potential to identify potential biomarkers for the course of trauma-related disorders and to inform trauma therapies focusing on sensory integration.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed informed consent
• Subjects that have experienced a traumatic event that meets the DSM-5 criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

• Schizophrenia, schizoaffective or other psychotic disorder
• Neurological disorders
• Psychotropic medication
• Subjects suffering from a respiratory tract infection or other respiratory disorder known to affect olfactory functioning at investigator's discretion
• Subjects with anosmia or other previous primary olfactory dysfunction (olfactory threshold score using the "Sniffin' Sticks" ≤ 5)
• Dermatitis of the extremities or other skin disorders that affect the skin sensitivity of the extremities