Chemosensory anxiety cues moderate the experience of social exclusion - an fMRI investigation with Cyberball.

ABSTRACT: Recent evidence suggests that the experience of stress can be communicated between individuals via chemosensory cues. Little is known, however, about the impact of these cues on neurophysiological responses during a socially threatening situation. In the current investigation we implemented a widely used paradigm to study social exclusion-Cyberball-to examine whether chemosensory cues signaling anxiety modulate the neuronal effects of ostracism. In a double-blind, within-subjects design, 24 healthy, normosmic participants were presented with chemosensory cues of anxiety (or control samples) and completed the Cyberball task while in a 3T fMRI scanner. Axillary sweat collected from male students awaiting an oral examination served as the anxiety cues while the chemosensory control stimuli co

SUBMITTER: Wudarczyk OA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4599064 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature