Investigating complex cardiovascular dynamics during hedonic olfactory elicitation

Olfactory sense plays a fundamental role in human behaviour such as emotion regulation, memory formation, risk evaluation, and food appreciation. However, the effects of hedonic olfactory stimuli on autonomic nervous system response are still unclear. In this study we investigate heartbeat complexity in a group of 32 healthy subjects, after the elicitation with three odorants commonly considered to be pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant. Results show significant differences in complexity of cardiovascular system dynamics when subjects smell pleasant and unpleasant odors (p-value< 0.05).