A systematic narrative review of the form, process, and function of sensory hyposensitivity in depression

Christopher F Sharpley, G Lorenzo Odierna, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher B Watson · 2026

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Description

Christopher F. Sharpley, G. Lorenzo Odierna, Vicki Bitsika, and Christopher B. Watson review, in a 2026 systematic narrative review, sensory hyposensitivity in major depression, meaning dulled responsiveness across the five senses. Individual studies had reported blunting in single senses, yet no review had covered vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell together.

The search gathered fifty-one individual studies and five reviews focused on smell. Findings were organized by the form the blunting takes, the brain processes proposed to underlie it, and its possible function. Explanations split between peripheral sensory dulling and central cognitive dysfunction. The authors propose hyposensitivity may serve as an escape from an aversive environment, giving the depressed person a form of relief. Clinical translation ideas and future research directions close the review.

Catalog record

CREATORChristopher F Sharpley, G Lorenzo Odierna, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher B Watson
YEAR2026
COLLECTIONPAPERS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE90421
LICENSEhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
RIGHTSCC BY
SOURCEEurope PMC

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13527121

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