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Sex differentiated hypothalamic activation by putative pheromones

Molecular Psychiatry volume 7, pages 335–336 (2002)Cite this article

Sir – Recent positron emission tomography (PET) studies suggest sexually dimorphic neuronal response to two putative pheromones. The specific regions activated, combined with the sex difference depict a pheromoneal-type of brain response in humans. The implications of these observations are discussed.

Pheromones are volatile compounds secreted into the environment (in sweat, urine, saliva) by one individual of a species and perceived by another individual of the same species, in whom they trigger a behavioural response or physiological change.1 In the majority of mammals pheromones elicit signals which are transduced in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) situated in the nasal cavity, to the accessory olfactory bulb, the medial amygdala, and stria terminalis to finally reach the anterior hypothalamus.2 Via the hypothalamus and its connections the pheromones influence sexual behavior and reproductive functions in a sex-specific way.2 One of the most intriguing issues in the field of olfaction is whether pheromone transduction exists also in humans. Many researchers are skeptical because it is uncertain whether the pheromone signals can be conveyed to the brain, as the accessory olfactory nerve in humans is vestigial, disappearing before birth. Although the vomeronasal organ can be identified in the nasal cavity below the olfactory mucosa in a majority of humans, it does not harbour functional neuronal elements,3 and with one exception all putative members of the vomeronasal receptor family in the human genome are pseudogenes.4 Other scientists are more positive, taking support from several behavioural studies implicating an involvement of putative pheromones in regulating endocrine-dependent behaviours such as menstruation. For example, female axillary extract applied to the upper lip it shown to alter the timing of ovulation and menstruation of the recipient.5 This phenomenon is suggested to underlie the menstrual synchrony among roommates and is presumably mediated by the hypothalamus. Furthermore, it has recently been reported that a putative pheromone receptor gene is expressed in human olfactory mucosa.4 Consequently, there is a theoretical possibility that putative pheromones in humans, like for example in ferrets and pigs, could have an effect on the hypothalamus via the nasal mucosa.

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  1. Division of Human Brain Research, Dept Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Retzius väg 8, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden

    I Savic

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  1. I Savic
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Savic, I. Sex differentiated hypothalamic activation by putative pheromones. Mol Psychiatry 7, 335–336 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001094

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