Episode 15: The Neuroscience of Pheromones

Neuroscience: Amateur Hour

For the low, low price of $15.95 on Amazon, you can purchase a little spray bottle of pheromones that supposedly will trigger "animal attraction" in your partner. But is it true???
Pheromones are a well-known system of communicating territory, alarms, and sexual needs to other animals but is this system present in humans? We know that smell is an important component of sexual attraction and arousal but human beings seem to lack both the organ and brain region needed to process pheromone information. But maybe???
If you're curious, come and listen to learn a little bit more about what's happening upstairs!
Please rate, review, and subscribe and if you have any questions, comments, concerns, queries, or complaints, please email me at [e-mail] or DM me at NeuroscienceAmateurHour on Instagram.
Citations below:
Jimenez J, Hughes K, Alaks G, Graham L, Lacy R. An experimental study of inbreeding depression in a natural habitat. Science. 1994;266(5183):271-273. doi:10.1126/science.7939661

Keverne EB. The Vomeronasal Organ. Science. 1999;286(5440):716-720. doi:10.1126/science.286.5440.716

Kang N, Baum MJ, Cherry JA. Different Profiles of Main and Accessory Olfactory Bulb Mitral/Tufted Cell Projections Revealed in Mice Using an Anterograde Tracer and a Whole-Mount, Flattened Cortex Preparation. Chemical Senses. 2010;36(3):251-260. doi:10.1093/chemse/bjq120

Wang L, Zhang Z, Chen J, et al. Cell-Type-Specific Whole-Brain Direct Inputs to the Anterior and Posterior Piriform Cortex. Frontiers in Neural Circuits. 2020;14. doi:10.3389/fncir.2020.00004

‌Wedekind, C., Seebeck, T., Bettens, F. and Paepke, A. J. MHC-dependent mate preferences in humans. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 1995: 260: 245-249

Meredith M. Human Vomeronasal Organ Function: A Critical Review of Best and Worst Cases. Chemical Senses. 2001;26(4):433-445. doi:10.1093/chemse/26.4.433

D’Aniello B, Semin GR, Scandurra A, Pinelli C. The Vomeronasal Organ: A Neglected Organ. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. 2017;11. doi:10.3389/fnana.2017.00070

Rodriguez I, Greer CA, Mok MY, Mombaerts P. A putative pheromone receptor gene expressed in human olfactory mucosa. Nature Genetics. 2000;26(1):18-19. doi:10.1038/79124

Verhaeghe J, Gheysen R, Enzlin P. Pheromones and their effect on women’s mood and sexuality. Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn. 2013;5(3):189-195. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3987372/

Miller SL, Maner JK. Scent of a Woman. Psychological Science. 2009;21(2):276-283. doi:10.1177/0956797609357733

Support the show