Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Sensory Systems
36
Scopus Publications
1786
Scholar Citations
20
Scholar h-index
29
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
A quasi-randomised pilot study on the efficacy and perceived usefulness of adding chemosignals to mindfulness practice for women with social anxiety Emma T. Eliasson, Elisa Vigna, Elisa Dal Bò, Cinzia Cecchetto, Letizia Zurlo, et al. Scientific Reports, 2025 Body odours (BOs) of individuals in specific emotional states can influence receivers’ responses – referred to as an emotional contagion. To investigate the potential of BOs to enhance the effects of mindfulness practice, this quasi-randomised pilot study tested the hypothesis that participants exposed to emotional BOs during mindfulness meditation would exhibit a steeper decrease in state anxiety symptoms compared to mindfulness alone (clean air control). Ninety-eight women meeting criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) received two mindfulness sessions over two consecutive days, while randomly allocated to one of four conditions: fear BO, joy BO, neutral BO or a clean air control group. No odour × time interaction effect was observed, rejecting the primary hypothesis. Although not statistically significant, effect size estimates suggested a greater reduction in state anxiety for the group receiving fear chemosignals (Day 1 Cohen’s d = 0.26, Day 2 Cohen’s d = 0.54) compared to the clean air control group. Moreover, the BO groups perceived the mindfulness practice as significantly more helpful compared to the control group (p = 0.002). Given the sample size limits, a larger Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) incorporating more mindfulness + BO sessions is recommended to further examine the therapeutic potential of human BOs.
Emotion perception through the nose: how olfactory emotional cues modulate the perception of neutral facial expressions in affective disorders Elisa Dal Bò, Cinzia Cecchetto, Alejandro Luis Callara, Alberto Greco, Francesca Mura, et al. Translational Psychiatry, 2024 Humans can decode emotional states from the body odors of the conspecifics and this type of emotional communication is particularly relevant in conditions in which social interactions are impaired, as in depression and social anxiety. The present study aimed to explore how body odors collected in happiness and fearful conditions modulate the subjective ratings, the psychophysiological response and the neural processing of neutral faces in individuals with depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and healthy controls (N = 22 per group). To this aim, electrocardiogram (ECG) and HD-EEG were recorded continuously. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was extracted from the ECG as a measure of vagal tone, event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related spectral perturbations (ERPSs) were extracted from the EEG. The results revealed that the HRV increased during the fear and happiness body odors conditions compared to clean air, but no group differences emerged. For ERPs data, repeated measure ANOVA did not show any significant effects. However, the ERPSs analyses revealed a late increase in delta power and a reduced beta power both at an early and a late stage of stimulus processing in response to the neutral faces presented with the emotional body odors, regardless of the presence of depressive or social anxiety symptoms. The current research offers new insights, demonstrating that emotional chemosignals serve as potent environmental cues. This represents a substantial advancement in comprehending the impact of emotional chemosignals in both individuals with and without affective disorders.
Combining electrodermal activity analysis and dynamic causal modeling to investigate the visual-odor multimodal integration during face perception Gianluca Rho, Alejandro Luis Callara, Francesco Bossi, Dimitri Ognibene, Cinzia Cecchetto, et al. Journal of Neural Engineering, 2024 Objective. This study presents a novel methodological approach for incorporating information related to the peripheral sympathetic response into the investigation of neural dynamics. Particularly, we explore how hedonic contextual olfactory stimuli influence the processing of neutral faces in terms of sympathetic response, event-related potentials and effective connectivity analysis. The objective is to investigate how the emotional valence of odors influences the cortical connectivity underlying face processing and the role of face-induced sympathetic arousal in this visual-olfactory multimodal integration. Approach. To this aim, we combine electrodermal activity (EDA) analysis and dynamic causal modeling to examine changes in cortico-cortical interactions. Results. The results reveal that stimuli arising sympathetic EDA responses are associated with a more negative N170 amplitude, which may be a marker of heightened arousal in response to faces. Hedonic odors, on the other hand, lead to a more negative N1 component and a reduced the vertex positive potential when they are unpleasant or pleasant. Concerning connectivity, unpleasant odors strengthen the forward connection from the inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) to the middle temporal gyrus, which is involved in processing changeable facial features. Conversely, the occurrence of sympathetic responses after a stimulus is correlated with an inhibition of this same connection and an enhancement of the backward connection from ITG to the fusiform face gyrus. Significance. These findings suggest that unpleasant odors may enhance the interpretation of emotional expressions and mental states, while faces capable of eliciting sympathetic arousal prioritize identity processing.
Consistent social odor representation across 7 languages: the Social Odor Scale translation and validation Cinzia Cecchetto, Arnaud Leleu, Roberta P Calce, Sally Arnhardt, Valentina Parma, et al. Chemical Senses, 2024 The Social Odor Scale (SOS) is a 12-item questionnaire initially developed and validated in Italian and German to investigate self-reported awareness of social odors, which are odors emanating from the human body that convey diverse information and evoke various emotional responses. The scale includes a total score and 3 subscales representing social odors in the respective categories: romantic partner, familiar, and strangers. Here, we aimed to (i) replicate the validation of the Italian and German versions of the SOS, (ii) translate and validate the SOS into multiple additional languages (French, English, Dutch, Swedish, Chinese), and (iii) explore whether the factor structure of each translated version aligns with the original versions. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the scale’s structure, yielding a good fit across all languages. Notable differences in SOS mean scores were observed among the different languages: Swedish participants exhibited lower social odor awareness compared to the other groups, whereas Chinese participants reported higher social odor awareness compared to Dutch and Swedish participants. Furthermore, SOS scores correlated with respondents’ geographical location, with higher (i.e. northern) latitudes linked to lower social odor awareness. These results corroborate the SOS as a valid and reliable instrument, especially for the SOS total score and the Familiar and Partner factors, emphasizing the influence of individual and geographic factors on social odor awareness.
Alexithymia modulates the attitudes towards odors but not the olfactory abilities or the affective reactions to odors Cinzia Cecchetto, Elisa Dal Bò, Marilena Aiello, Florian Ph. S. Fischmeister, Claudio Gentili, et al. Plos One, 2023 Although emotion and olfaction are closely linked, only a few studies have investigated olfactory processing in alexithymia, a condition characterized by altered emotional processing. These results do not allow comprehensive conclusions on whether individuals with alexithymia present lower olfactory abilities or only altered affective reactions and awareness of odors. Three pre-registered experiments were conducted to clarify this relation. We assessed olfactory functions, the affective qualities of odors, the awareness of odors, the attitudes towards them, and the ability to form olfactory images in the mind. Bayesian statistics were used to assess differences between low, medium and high alexithymia groups, and Linear Mixed Models (LMMs) were applied to investigate the modulation of the affective and cognitive components of alexithymia. We observed that individuals with a high level of alexithymia presented the same olfactory abilities, and did not show differences in their rating of odors compared to individuals with low alexithymia levels, while they reported lower levels of social and common odor awareness and a more indifferent attitude towards odors. Olfactory imagery was not affected by alexithymia level, and the affective and cognitive components of alexithymia, when considered separately, modulated olfactory perception differently. Learning more about olfactory perception in individuals with alexithymia leads to a better understanding of how alexithymia impacts the perception of hedonic stimuli coming from different sensory modalities. Our results imply that treatment goals for alexithymia should be the enhancement of the conscious perception of odors, supporting the use of mindfulness-based protocols in the alexithymia treatment.
Effect of EDA-driven sympathetic responses on the central processing of faces cued by hedonic odors: a preliminary ERP study Convegno Nazionale Di Bioingegneria, 2023
Processing of Human Body Odors Valentina Parma, Amy R. Gordon, Cinzia Cecchetto, Annachiara Cavazzana, Johan N. Lundström, et al. Springer Handbooks, 2017
A quasi-randomised pilot study on the efficacy and perceived usefulness of adding chemosignals to mindfulness practice for women with social anxiety ET Eliasson, E Vigna, E Dal Bò, C Cecchetto, L Zurlo, C Gentili, ... Scientific Reports 15 (1), 32459 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Sniffing out a solution: How emotional body odors can improve mindfulness therapy for social anxiety C Cecchetto, E Dal Bo, ET Eliasson, E Vigna, L Natali, EP Scilingo, ... Journal of affective disorders 369, 1082-1089 , 2025 2025 Citations: 8
Scented emotions: the role of emotional human chemosignals in social and emotional exchange C Cecchetto CHEMICAL SENSES 50 , 2025 2025
Neural insights into emotional body odors processing in affective disorders E Dal Bo, C Cecchetto, AL Callara, S Ferdowski, A Greco, L Citi, ... CHEMICAL SENSES 50 , 2025 2025
Effects of olfactory stimuli on the recognition of facial expressions in individuals with depressive symptoms: an event-related potential EEG study L Zurlo, E Dal Bo, C Gentili, C Cecchetto CHEMICAL SENSES 50 , 2025 2025
Olfactory dysfunction in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders: A comprehensive and updated meta-analysis L Zurlo, E Dal Bo, C Gentili, C Cecchetto Schizophrenia research 275, 62-75 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
DISTINGUISHING DEPRESSIVE AND SOCIAL ANXIETY SYMPTOMS THROUGH EEG MICROSTATE ANALYSIS E Dal Bo, F Mura, C Cecchetto, L Zurlo, EP Scilingo, C Gentili PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY 61, S225-S225 , 2024 2024
Emotion perception through the nose: how olfactory emotional cues modulate the perception of neutral facial expressions in affective disorders E Dal Bò, C Cecchetto, AL Callara, A Greco, F Mura, N Vanello, ... Translational psychiatry 14 (1), 342 , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Exploring the Brain’s Response to Food Stimuli in Anorexia Nervosa: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies E Dal Bò, L Zurlo, C Cecchetto, C Gentili 2024
Olfactory Dysfunction in Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders: A Comprehensive and Updated Meta-Analysis L Zurloa, E Dal Bòa, C Gentilia, C Cecchettoa, C Cecchetto PsyArXiv , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Catalyst effect of human body odours in social anxiety treatment–a pilot study. E Vigna, V Carli, C Cecchetto, E Dal Bò European Psychiatry 67 (S1), S9-S9 , 2024 2024
Combining electrodermal activity analysis and dynamic causal modeling to investigate the visual-odor multimodal integration during face perception G Rho, AL Callara, F Bossi, D Ognibene, C Cecchetto, T Lomonaco, ... Journal of Neural Engineering 21 (1), 016020 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Emotion perception through the nose: How olfactory emotional cues modulate the perception of neutral facial expressions in affective disorders ED Bò, C Cecchetto, A Callara, A Greco, F Mura, N Vanello, ... 2024 Citations: 2
Consistent social odor representation across 7 languages: the Social Odor Scale translation and validation C Cecchetto, A Leleu, RP Calce, S Arnhardt, V Parma, JHB De Groot, ... Chemical senses 49, bjae035 , 2024 2024
Low odor awareness predicts reduced olfactory abilities in women with depressive symptoms, but not with anxiety symptoms E Dal Bo, L Natali, C Gentili, C Cecchetto Journal of affective disorders 338, 171-179 , 2023 2023 Citations: 7
Multimodal Integration of Olfactory and Visual Processing through DCM analysis: Contextual Modulation of Facial Perception G Rho, AL Callara, F Bossi, D Ognibene, C Cecchetto, T Lomonaco, ... arXiv preprint arXiv:2309.03536 , 2023 2023
LATE-BREAKING THE PROCESSING OF EMOTIONAL BODY ODORS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS: A HIGH-DENSITY EEG STUDY E Dal Bo, C Cecchetto, A Callara, F Mura, A Greco, N Vanello, E Scilingo, ... PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY 60, S137-S137 , 2023 2023
Alexithymia modulates the attitudes towards odors but not the olfactory abilities or the affective reactions to odors C Cecchetto, E Dal Bò, M Aiello, FPS Fischmeister, C Gentili, SA Osimo Plos one 18 (6), e0278496 , 2023 2023 Citations: 7
Affective and physiological responses to human body odors in social anxiety–a pilot study on the possible effects as catalyst for treatment E Vigna, C Cecchetto, E Dal Bò, G Hadlaczky, D Wasserman, V Carli European Psychiatry 66 (Suppl 1), S73 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
EMOTIONAL CHEMOSIGNALS PROCESSING IN AFFECTIVE DISORDERS E Dal Bo, C Cecchetto, AL Callara, F Mura, A Greco, N Vanello, ... CHEMICAL SENSES 48 , 2023 2023
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Increased emotional eating during COVID-19 associated with lockdown, psychological and social distress C Cecchetto, M Aiello, C Gentili, S Ionta, SA Osimo Appetite 160, 105122 , 2021 2021 Citations: 367
Recent smell loss is the best predictor of COVID-19 among individuals with recent respiratory symptoms RC Gerkin, K Ohla, MG Veldhuizen, PV Joseph, CE Kelly, AJ Bakke, ... Chemical senses 46, bjaa081 , 2021 2021 Citations: 205
The influence of personality, resilience, and alexithymia on mental health during COVID-19 pandemic SA Osimo, M Aiello, C Gentili, S Ionta, C Cecchetto Frontiers in psychology 12, 630751 , 2021 2021 Citations: 133
Influence of 4-week multi-strain probiotic administration on resting-state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers D Bagga, CS Aigner, JL Reichert, C Cecchetto, FPS Fischmeister, ... European Journal of Nutrition 58 (5), 1821-1827 , 2019 2019 Citations: 121
A follow-up on quantitative and qualitative olfactory dysfunction and other symptoms in patients recovering from COVID-19 smell loss K Ohla, MG Veldhuizen, T Green, ME Hannum, AJ Bakke, ST Moein, ... Rhinology 60 (3), 207 , 2022 2022 Citations: 112
Emotional reactions in moral decision-making are influenced by empathy and alexithymia C Cecchetto, S Korb, RI Rumiati, M Aiello Social neuroscience 13 (2), 226-240 , 2018 2018 Citations: 93
Facial and bodily emotion recognition in multiple sclerosis: the role of alexithymia and other characteristics of the disease C Cecchetto, M Aiello, D D’Amico, D Cutuli, D Cargnelutti, R Eleopra, ... Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 20 (10), 1004-1014 , 2014 2014 Citations: 74
Human Chemosignals and Brain Activity: A Preliminary Meta-analysis of the Processing of Human Body Odors E Dal Bò, C Gentili, C Cecchetto Chemical Senses 45 (9), 855–864 , 2020 2020 Citations: 69
On-line changing of thinking about words: the effect of cognitive context on neural responses to verb reading L Papeo, RI Rumiati, C Cecchetto, B Tomasino Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 24 (12), 2348-2362 , 2012 2012 Citations: 62
The processing of actions and action-words in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients L Papeo, C Cecchetto, G Mazzon, G Granello, T Cattaruzza, L Verriello, ... Cortex 64, 136-147 , 2015 2015 Citations: 49
Alexithymia and emotional reactions to odors C Cecchetto, RI Rumiati, M Aiello Scientific Reports 7 (1), 14097 , 2017 2017 Citations: 44
Body odors (even when masked) make you more emotional: behavioral and neural insights C Cecchetto, E Lancini, D Bueti, RI Rumiati, V Parma Scientific Reports 9 (1), 5489 , 2019 2019 Citations: 41
Human body odor increases familiarity for faces during encoding‐retrieval task C Cecchetto, FPS Fischmeister, S Gorkiewicz, W Schuehly, D Bagga, ... Human Brain Mapping 41 (7), 1904-1919 , 2020 2020 Citations: 36
Assessing the extent and timing of chemosensory impairments during COVID-19 pandemic C Cecchetto, A Di Pizio, F Genovese, O Calcinoni, A Macchi, A Dunkel, ... Scientific reports 11 (1), 17504 , 2021 2021 Citations: 32
Increasing incidence of parosmia and phantosmia in patients recovering from COVID-19 smell loss K Ohla, MG Veldhuizen, T Green, ME Hannum, AJ Bakke, ST Moein, ... MedRxiv, 2021.08. 28.21262763 , 2021 2021 Citations: 29
The best COVID-19 predictor is recent smell loss: a cross-sectional study RC Gerkin, K Ohla, MG Veldhuizen, PV Joseph, CE Kelly, AJ Bakke, ... MedRxiv , 2020 2020 Citations: 28
Relative contribution of odour intensity and valence to moral decisions C Cecchetto, RI Rumiati, V Parma Perception 46 (3-4), 447-474 , 2017 2017 Citations: 28
When to collect resting-state data: The influence of odor on post-task resting-state connectivity C Cecchetto, FPS Fischmeister, JL Reichert, D Bagga, V Schöpf Neuroimage 191, 361-366 , 2019 2019 Citations: 27
Olfactory meta-cognition in individuals with depressive and anxiety symptoms: the differential role of common and social odors E Dal Bò, C Gentili, A Castellani, C Tripodi, FPS Fischmeister, ... Journal of affective disorders 308, 259-267 , 2022 2022 Citations: 23
Recent smell loss is the best predictor of COVID-19: a preregistered, cross-sectional study RC Gerkin, K Ohla, MG Veldhuizen, PV Joseph, CE Kelly, AJ Bakke, ... 2020 Citations: 21