Related Experiment Videos
Relationship between oral sensory thresholds and depressive moods
Yuko Watanabe1, Takayuki Ishikawa, Koji Kino
1Maxillofacial Surgery, Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Function, Division of Maxillofacial and Neck Reconstruction, Graduated School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan. y-watanabe.mfs@tmd.ac.jp
Journal of Medical and Dental Sciences
|May 5, 2005
Summary
Depressive mood is more closely linked to tongue sensory thresholds than hand sensory thresholds. This suggests orofacial areas may be more sensitive to mood changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sensory Physiology
Background:
- Sensory perception varies across different body parts.
- Depressive mood can influence physiological responses.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for holistic health assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare sensory thresholds on the tongue versus the hand.
- To explore the association between depressive mood and sensory thresholds.
- To investigate these relationships in individuals with normal psychological conditions.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-five healthy volunteers underwent psychiatric interviews and completed the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS).
- Quantitative sensory tests (light touch, thermal) were performed on the tongue and hand.
- Logistic regression analyzed the relationship between SDS scores and sensory thresholds.
Main Results:
- Significant differences were found in sensory thresholds between the tongue tip and the dorsum of the hand.
- Elevated SDS scores correlated with altered thresholds for both innocuous thermal and noxious heat stimulation on the tongue tip.
- No significant association was found for the hand.
Conclusions:
- Depressive mood appears more strongly associated with sensory perception in the orofacial region (tongue) than on the hand.
- This finding supports the hypothesis of a closer link between mood and orofacial sensory processing.