| Title: | Decoding the social volatilome by tracking rapid context-dependent odour change |
| Author(s): | Roberts SC; Misztal PK; Langford B; |
| Address: | "Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK. Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK" |
| Journal Title: | Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1471-2970 (Electronic) 0962-8436 (Print) 0962-8436 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Odours can have a significant influence on the outcome of social interactions. However, we have yet to characterize the chemical signature of any specific social cue in human body odour, and we know little about how changes in social context influence odour chemistry. Here, we argue that adoption of emerging analytical techniques from other disciplines, such as atmospheric chemistry, might become game-changing tools in this endeavour. First, we describe the use of online chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to sensitively measure many hundreds of gas-phase volatile organic compounds in real time. By analysing ambient air emanating from undisturbed individuals or groups, the technique enables a continuous recording of an instantaneous odour change in response to external stimuli and changing social context. This has considerable advantages over the traditional approach of periodic sampling for analysis by gas chromatography. We also discuss multivariate statistical approaches, such as positive matrix factorization, that can effectively sift through this complex datastream to identify linked groups of compounds that probably underpin functional chemosignals. In combination, these innovations offer new avenues for addressing outstanding questions concerning olfactory communication in humans and other species, as well as in related fields using odour, such as biometrics and disease diagnostics. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'" |
| Keywords: | Animals Humans Mammals/physiology Mass Spectrometry/*methods *Multivariate Analysis Nonverbal Communication/*physiology Odorants/*analysis Volatile Organic Compounds/*analysis chemosignal odour olfaction pheromone smell volatilome; |
| Notes: | "MedlineRoberts, S Craig Misztal, Pawel K Langford, Ben eng England 2020/04/21 Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2020 Jun 8; 375(1800):20190259. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0259. Epub 2020 Apr 20" |
