Dogs Sniff Out PTSD Episodes

Human breath odor can warn trained service dogs of oncoming flashbacks in people who have PTSD, according to a study published in Frontiers in Allergy, making it possible to stop the episodes earlier and more effectively. PTSD service dogs already predict episodes from cues like fist-clenching or elevated respiration and heart rates, and the successful dogs in the study seem to respond to separate olfactory biomarkers, one tied to human participants’ self-reported shame and another to self-reported anxiety, says researcher Laura Kiiroja.