Y both odorants simultaneously in the binary mixture (PHE+ISO), while 67 of controls recognized the binary mixture (significant difference between patients and controls: x2 = 9.6, p = 0.008). For the two others responses, no significant difference was found between the three groups for PHE (x2 = 2.9, p = 0.24) or ISO (x2 = 5.50, p = 0.06) (Figure 2).DiscussionIn the present study, we assessed the olfactory performances during 
a MDE using 8 single odors with different hedonic valence and 
two odors with opposite valence in binary mixture. Thus, the study aims at giving preliminary results concerning the state and trait olfactory alterations associated with a MDE by evaluating the olfactory performances during the acute episode and after clinical improvement (at 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment). In accordance with the literature [5,7,10?4], this pilot study confirmed that the olfactory identification abilities were 1326631 not altered in depressed order UKI-1 subjects and did not depend on the hedonic valenceof the odorant. The results of other olfactory parameters had put light on some olfactory alterations that could SPDB constitute state markers for MDE. Firstly, the results of the hedonic responses to all 8 odorants showed that healthy controls perceived these odors like pleasant, unpleasant and neutral as already demonstrated in the literature [23?5]. However, depressed patients classified the odors in only two clusters, pleasant or unpleasant. At 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment, we observed different clustering of odors, suggesting that the patients’ odor hedonic perception tended to normalize following improvements in depressed mood. These results suggest 18055761 the presence of the olfactory hedonic evaluation impairment in depressives which could be considered as sate and/or trait markers of MDE. In order to confirm this hypothesis, the hedonic responses for each odorant were compared between the three groups of subjects. Regarding the hedonic evaluation of the different odors, our results confirm that depressed patients perceived pleasant odorants as less pleasant than controls, but only for the almond odor (benzaldehyde). This result raised the question of why this olfactory bias concerned one odor precisely. In fact, the majority of the participants pointed out that benzaldehyde was a very pleasant odor recalling them the smell of the glue they used at school. So, benzaldehyde was a highly emotional odorant for most of the participants. This hedonic olfactory bias vanished after 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment. This is the first study to show the concurrent positive effects of escitalopram improving depression and “olfactory anhedonia” (for one highly emotional odorant). Consequently, we can assume that escitalopram restored the olfactory anhedonia bias for benzaldehyde, an odorant with high emotional impact. Indeed, antidepressant treatment is known to improve mood impairments due to an abnormal activation of the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex [26?0]. These brain structures are also involved in both olfactory and emotional processing [31,32]. Few previous studies have found opposite results [5,6], with depressed patients over-evaluating the pleasantness of odors compared to controls. Indeed, Pause et al. (2001) [6] reportedFigure 2. Odors’ identification in binary mixture. Between-groups comparison of the number of responses of three type of responses (PHE: 2phenylethanol, ISO: isovaleric acid, and PHE+ISO) in depressed patients [DP] (n.Y both odorants simultaneously in the binary mixture (PHE+ISO), while 67 of controls recognized the binary mixture (significant difference between patients and controls: x2 = 9.6, p = 0.008). For the two others responses, no significant difference was found between the three groups for PHE (x2 = 2.9, p = 0.24) or ISO (x2 = 5.50, p = 0.06) (Figure 2).DiscussionIn the present study, we assessed the olfactory performances during a MDE using 8 single odors with different hedonic valence and two odors with opposite valence in binary mixture. Thus, the study aims at giving preliminary results concerning the state and trait olfactory alterations associated with a MDE by evaluating the olfactory performances during the acute episode and after clinical improvement (at 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment). In accordance with the literature [5,7,10?4], this pilot study confirmed that the olfactory identification abilities were 1326631 not altered in depressed subjects and did not depend on the hedonic valenceof the odorant. The results of other olfactory parameters had put light on some olfactory alterations that could constitute state markers for MDE. Firstly, the results of the hedonic responses to all 8 odorants showed that healthy controls perceived these odors like pleasant, unpleasant and neutral as already demonstrated in the literature [23?5]. However, depressed patients classified the odors in only two clusters, pleasant or unpleasant. At 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment, we observed different clustering of odors, suggesting that the patients’ odor hedonic perception tended to normalize following improvements in depressed mood. These results suggest 18055761 the presence of the olfactory hedonic evaluation impairment in depressives which could be considered as sate and/or trait markers of MDE. In order to confirm this hypothesis, the hedonic responses for each odorant were compared between the three groups of subjects. Regarding the hedonic evaluation of the different odors, our results confirm that depressed patients perceived pleasant odorants as less pleasant than controls, but only for the almond odor (benzaldehyde). This result raised the question of why this olfactory bias concerned one odor precisely. In fact, the majority of the participants pointed out that benzaldehyde was a very pleasant odor recalling them the smell of the glue they used at school. So, benzaldehyde was a highly emotional odorant for most of the participants. This hedonic olfactory bias vanished after 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment. This is the first study to show the concurrent positive effects of escitalopram improving depression and “olfactory anhedonia” (for one highly emotional odorant). Consequently, we can assume that escitalopram restored the olfactory anhedonia bias for benzaldehyde, an odorant with high emotional impact. Indeed, antidepressant treatment is known to improve mood impairments due to an abnormal activation of the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex [26?0]. These brain structures are also involved in both olfactory and emotional processing [31,32]. Few previous studies have found opposite results [5,6], with depressed patients over-evaluating the pleasantness of odors compared to controls. Indeed, Pause et al. (2001) [6] reportedFigure 2. Odors’ identification in binary mixture. Between-groups comparison of the number of responses of three type of responses (PHE: 2phenylethanol, ISO: isovaleric acid, and PHE+ISO) in depressed patients [DP] (n.
