PTSD Assistance Dogs Can Recognize Scent Of People Reflecting On Traumatic Experiences

Scientists have found that well-trained dogs can detect the early beginnings of a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) flashback by sniffing out certain substances in a person's breath.

This discovery could lead to a new technique for service dogs to help those suffering from the severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Dog Detect Through Breath Samples

The study, conducted by Laura Kiiroja of Dalhousie University and published in Frontiers in Allergy, combined expertise from Dr. Sherry Stewart's clinical psychology lab and Dr. Simon Gadbois' canine olfaction lab.

The collaboration sought to determine whether canines might learn to recognize volatile organic compounds (VOCs) linked to PTSD symptoms.

PTSD is a mental health illness triggered by stressful, frightening, or disturbing situations, with those affected frequently repeating these experiences through dreams and flashbacks.

To conduct the study, the researchers recruited 26 people, 54% of whom satisfied the diagnostic criteria for PTSD stress levels.

These people gave breath samples while wearing various facemasks, one during a tranquil condition and another while recalling their horrific experiences.

Meanwhile, 25 companion dogs were chosen for scent-detection training, with two standouts, Ivy and Callie, finishing the research.

These skilled dogs were trained to recognize and detect the target stress odor from parts of facemasks, with an amazing 90% accuracy in distinguishing between stressed and unstressed samples.

When provided with a set of samples to assess their accuracy, Ivy scored 74%, whereas Callie scored 81%. Interestingly, the dogs appeared to have slightly different definitions of a "stressed" breath sample.

"We speculated that Ivy was attuned to sympathetic-adreno-medullar axis hormones (like adrenaline) and Callie was oriented to the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones (like cortisol)," explained Kiiroja.

She added that although both canines performed with excellent accuracy, they appeared to have slightly varied definitions of what they regarded as a 'stressed' breath sample.

Early Detection

This is important knowledge for training service dogs. Alerting to early-onset PTSD symptoms requires sensitivity to sympathetic-adreno-medullar axis hormones.

PTSD service dogs are already trained to assist patients by detecting and interrupting instances during which their companions are experiencing symptoms.

However, if dogs could detect and respond to stress signals on the breath, they may potentially stop episodes earlier, making their therapies more successful.

While this proof-of-concept study provides promising insights, the researchers note that validation studies with larger sample numbers are required to demonstrate the dogs' capacity to dependably detect stress VOCs in a variety of settings.

The researchers intend to conduct additional studies to confirm the role of the sympathetic-adreno-medullar axis in the dogs' recognition of stress VOCs.

The team shed light on the ability of properly trained dogs to detect the early stages of PTSD stress flashbacks. The study lays the path for more successful interventions by service dogs, allowing them to interrupt episodes early and provide more support to people suffering from PTSD.

Previous studies have shown that dogs can detect diseases like cancer as well as early warning indications of potentially catastrophic medical circumstances like an oncoming seizure or abrupt hypoglycemia (when blood sugar levels fall abnormally low).