The discovery suggests new possibilities for treating persons with asthma.

Pediatric psychiatry researchers Bruce Miller, UB associate professor, and Beatrice Wood, UB assistant professor, reported the results of their study at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, held March 7-10 in Williamsburg, Va.

To determine the effect of emotions on airway constriction in asthma, Miller and Wood asked 24 asthmatic children to view the video of "E.T.-The Extraterrestrial," while monitoring their heart rate, respiration and the oxygen saturation of the blood. The children were between the ages of 8-18 years.

The researchers were particularly interested in the children's physiological responses during the strongly emotional scene in the movie in which the young boy, Eliot, gazes upon and talks to his presumably dead friend, and then discovers that E.T. is alive. The scene shifts from sadness and hopelessness to relief and joy.

Results showed that during the sad scene, heart rate and oxygen saturation became unstable, reflecting airway constriction. During the happy scene, heart rate and blood oxygen stabilized, indicating open airways.

In addition, the researchers noted that changes in activity of the vagus nerve, known to influence both heart rate and airway constriction, correlated closely with changes in the children's emotional responses. They believe the finding points to the vagus nerve as one pathway by which emotions affect asthma symptoms.

"These findings are clinically important because they suggest that emotional conditions, such as depression and hopelessness, may be important triggers of airway constriction in asthmatic patients," Miller said. "Knowing that the vagus nerve is a specific pathway for inducing these psychophysiologic responses, we can now target this pathway for treatment intervention."

Depression is common, but often unrecognized, among children living with a chronic illness such as asthma, Wood said. If diagnosed, depression should be treated vigorously, with counseling and/or medication, she noted.

Miller said their findings lead them to believe that certain antidepressant medications-those with strong anticholinergic (i.e., anti-vagal) properties-may be the medication of choice in treating depression in asthmatic children.

"These medications may have the dual effect of treating depression, while at the same time lessening vagal responsivity, which would directly improve asthmatic symptoms," he said.

"We suspect that when a patient suffers from both asthma and depression, there may be undertreatment for the depression," Miller noted. "We need to point out to physicians that treating the depression can improve asthma symptoms, as well as mood."