Abstract
This study investigates the effects of various odorants on the behavioural responses to pain in human newborns and adult mice. Human babies were observed during the neonatal blood sampling. During the blood sampling episode, the duration of crying was not influenced by the nature of the odors (maternal milk, familiar powder milk, physiological serum). Yet, after the sampling the crying duration of babies exposed to the odor of maternal milk was significantly reduced. The mice were submitted to electrical shocks delivered through the floor of their cage. The adult mice were submitted to pleasant, unpleasant or neutral odors during the first twenty one days of life. The mice that were exposed to pleasant odors presented less intense behavioral reactions to pain (the decrease was measured as a lower frequency in shrieking) whereas this reaction was slightly increased when the odor was unpleasant. The neutral odor had no effect on the response to pain. These results are discussed in terms of the effect of olfactory stimulation on the pain integration and on attention processes.
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