ArticleMolecular autism2014
Enhanced olfactory sensitivity in autism spectrum conditions.
Article in Molecular autism, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers.
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Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 97 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Single Dose, Randomized, Controlled Proof-Of-Mechanism Study of a Novel Vasopressin 1a Receptor Antagonist (RG7713) in High-Functioning Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2017Trial
- Enduring Autism-like Phenotypes and Deregulated Hypothalamic Prosocial Peptides After Early-Life Exposure to Indoor Flame Retardants in Male C57BL/6 Mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Mice and humans evaluate odor stimulus strength using common psychophysical principles.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Novel Parent Survey Measures Sensory Behaviors Incorporating Sensory Modality and Stimulus Intensity.Heliyon · 2025Article
- Review
- Validation of the German Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire in autistic adults.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Alcohol use among populations with autism spectrum disorder: narrative systematic review.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- Machine learning model for reproducing subjective sensations and alleviating sound-induced stress in individuals with developmental disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Role of Odor Novelty on Olfactory Issues in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Genes, brain, and behavior · 2024Review
- Sensory Stimulation-dependent Npas4 Expression in the Olfactory Bulb during Early Postnatal Development.Experimental neurobiology · 2024Article
- Brain Signatures of Early and Late Neural Measures of Auditory Habituation and Discrimination in Autism and Their Relationship to Autistic Traits and Sensory Overresponsivity.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Article
- Legacies of salient environmental experiences-insights from chemosensation.Chemical senses · 2024Article
- Giftedness and atypical sexual differentiation: enhanced perceptual functioning through estrogen deficiency instead of androgen excess.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- A handbook forFrontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Disgust Processing and Potential Relationships with Behaviors in Autism.Current psychiatry reports · 2023Review
- Autistic traits and alcohol use in adolescents within the general population.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2023Article
- Validation of the German Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire and replication of sensory processing differences in students with higher and lower Autism-Spectrum Quotient.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- A Mini-Review Regarding the Modalities to Study Neurodevelopmental Disorders-Like Impairments in Zebrafish-Focussing on Neurobehavioural and Psychological Responses.Brain sciences · 2022Review
- Working on Cognitive Functions in a Fully Digitalized Multisensory Interactive Room: A New Approach for Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders.Brain sciences · 2021Article
- Sensory Processing in the Autism Spectrum: The Role of Attention to Detail and Somatic Trait Anxiety in the Olfactory Perception of the General Population.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeople with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) report heightened olfaction. Previous sensory experiments in people with ASC have reported hypersensitivity across visual, tactile, and auditory domains, but not olfaction. The aims of the present study were to investigate olfactory sensitivity in ASC, and to test the association of sensitivity to autistic traits.
methodsWe recruited 17 adult males diagnosed with ASC and 17 typical adult male controls and tested their olfactory sensitivity using the Alcohol Sniff Test (AST), a standardised clinical evaluation of olfactory detection. The AST involves varying the distance between subject and stimulus until an odour is barely detected. Participants with ASC also completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) as a measure of autism traits.
resultsThe ASC group detected the odour at a mean distance of 24.1 cm (SD =11.5) from the nose, compared to the control group, who detected it at a significantly shorter mean distance of 14.4 cm (SD =5.9). Detection distance was independent of age and IQ for both groups, but showed a significant positive correlation with autistic traits in the ASC group (r =0.522).
conclusionsThis is the first experimental demonstration, as far as the authors are aware, of superior olfactory perception in ASC and showing that greater olfactory sensitivity is correlated with a higher number of autistic traits. This is consistent with results from previous findings showing hypersensitivity in other sensory domains and may help explain anecdotal and questionnaire accounts of heightened olfactory sensitivity in ASC. Results are discussed in terms of possible underlying neurophysiology.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.