Vomeronasal organ humans

The vomeronasal organ (VNO), located in the nose, is a small chemical sensing stmcture associated with odors and behavioral effects. The vomeronasal system, which is made up of the VNO and a portion of the brain s limbic system, is stmcturaHy independent of the olfactory and nervous terminalis systems in the nose. It may, however, interact with these systems in a manner dependent on prior experience or learning, and therefore be direcdy related to the association of smells and experiences. This independent chemosensory system in the nose may prove to open doors to new learning associated with the sense of smell and human behavior. 

Bhatnagar K. and Reid K,H. (1996). The human vomeronasal organ — 1 historical perspectives. A study of Ruysch s (1703) and Jacobson s (1811) reports on the vomeronasal organ, with comparative comments and English translations. Biomed Res 7, 219-229. 

Garcia-Velasco J. and Mondragon M.Z. (1991). Incidence of vomeronasal organ in 1000 humans and its possible clinical significance. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 39(4b), 561-564. 

Johnson E.W., Eller P.M. and Jafek B.W. (1994a). Calbindin-like immunoreactivity in epithelial cells of newborn and adult human vomeronasal organ. Brain Res 638, 329-333. 

Kjaer I. and Hansen B. (1996). The human vomeronasal organ prenatal developmental stages and distribution of luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone. Eur J Oral Sci 104, 1684-1694. 

Kreutzer E.W. and Jafek B.W. (1980). The vomeronasal organ of Jacobson in the human embryo and fetus. Otol HeadNeck Surg 88, 119-123. 

Monti-Bloch L., Diaz-Sanchez V. and Jennings-White C. (1998). Modulation of serum testosterone and autonomic function through stimulation of the male human vomeronasal organ with pregna-4, 20-diene-3,6-dione. J Steroid Biochem Molec Biol 65, 237-242. 

Moran D.T., Monti-Bloch L., Stensaas, L. and Berliner, D. (1994). Structure and function of the human vomeronasal organ. In Handbook of Olfaction and Gustation (Doty R., eds.). M. Dekker, New York Basel, pp. 793-820. 

Smith T.D., Siegel M.I., Mooney M.P., Burdi A.R., et al. (1996). Vomeronasal organ growth and development in normal, and cleft-lip and palate, human fetuses. Cleft Palate-Craniofac J 33, 385-394. 

Takami S., Getchell, M. and Chen, Y. (1993). Neurone-specific compounds in the receptor cells of the adult human vomeronasal organ. Neuroreport 4, 375-378. 

Yukimatsu M., Takami S., Matsumura G. and Nishiyama F. (2000). Immunoreactivity for G-proteins in the vomeronasal organ of human fetuses. Chem Senses 25, 215 (abs. P-17). 

Zbar R., Zbar L., Dudley C., Trott S., et al. (2000). A classification schema for the vomeronasal organ in humans. Plast Reconstr Surg 105, 1284-1288. 

These cues are important in rearing, territorial, courtship and, in particular, sexual behaviors. The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is separate from the main epithelium in mammals, comprising a thin epithelial tissue within a bony capsule in the lateral wall of the nasal cavity. It is probably vestigial in humans. The VNO epithelium contains at least two populations of microvillar chemosensory neurons one is in the more apical aspects of the epithelium, while the other lies in the more basal region. These two populations of vomeronasal neurons (VNs) are defined by the differential expression of several genes. For example, the apical VNs express the G-protein subunit Ga, while the basal neurons express Ga0. Apical and basal VNs also... 

One hurdle for proponents of human pheromones is the lack of clear evidence for a functional human vomeronasal organ (VNO). Located within the nasal cavity,... 

Bhatnagar, K. P. and Smith, T. D. (2001) The human vomeronasal organ. III. Postnatal development from infancy to the ninth decade. J. Anat. 199, 289-302. 

Garcia-Velasco, J. and Mondragon, M. (1991) The incidence of the vomeronasal organ in 1000 human subjects and its possible clinical significance. J. Steroid Biochem. 39, 561-563. 

Knecht, M., Kuhnau, D., Huttenbrink, K.-B., Martin, W. and Hummel, T. (2001) Frequency and localization of the putative vomeronasal organ in humans in relation to age and gender. Laryngoscope 111, 448-452. 

Monti-Bloch, L. and Grosser, B. I. (1991) Effect of putative pheromones on the electrical activity of the human vomeronasal organ and olfactory epithelium. J. Steroid Biochem. 39, 573-582. 

ABSTRACT This work describes various aspects of the concept, classification, identification, biosynthesis, chemistry and biological properties of pheromones. In addition, the available evidence relating to the vomeronasal organ (VNO), human pheromones and their possible role in human behavior is summarized. The latest works on the synthesis of pheromones with relevant activities are also included. 

While pheromones are known to mediate a variety of behaviours in other mammals, the human vomeronasal organ (VNO), which conveys information about pheromone eoncentration to the brain, was believed to be absent or atrophied in adults. It was also believed to lack any... 

Pheromones play roles such as the time-tested topics menstrual synchrony and mother-infant olfactory communication, as well as the more controversial topics of the role of pheromones in human mate choice and the existence or non-existence of a vomeronasal organ in humans and Old World primates, Especially fascinating is a table published by Wyatt [8] detailing odours associated with various human illnesses (i.e. patients with gout or schizophrenia have differing, distinct odours to their sweat), and another table listing various commercial products, both past and present, that contain pheromones. 

The vapor pressure criterion pertains especially to animals that possess sensory apparatus that humans lack. Many mammals have a morphologically distinct chemo-sensory organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) (Meredith, 1998), which is vestigial in human beings. The VNO appears to respond to nonvolatile chemical stimuli that arrive as airborne particles. The VNO may also have the capacity to detect volatile stimuli, and the remaining guidelines help differentiate its inputs from olfaction. 

Nakashima, T., Kimmelman, C.P. and Snow Jr., J.B. (1985) Vomeronasal organs and nerves of Jabobson in the human fetus. Acta Oto-Laryngol, 99, 266-271. 

Pheromone-induced responses are mediated primarily by the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The VNO, also known as "Jacobson s organ" [244] since 1944, is part of an accessory olfactory system. It is present in a variety of non-human vertebrates but its existence in the human has been open to question until recently. The VNO was first discovered by Ruysch (1703), a military doctor, in a soldier with a facial wound. The organ was named after Jacobson who published his findings on animals, but not humans, in 1811. 

Figure 3. Numbers of Psqieis on Humans, the Vomeronasal Organ, and on Practical Applications in CSV Volumes I -10.

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