1. Communication and Pheromones in Mammals

2. Human Communication Language Facial Expressions Gestures Tone of Voice
Literal meaning of words, comprehension
Facial Expressions
Mood, emotional status
Gestures
Level of intensity, urgency
May contain commands
Tone of Voice
Intent, emotional status

5. Animals and even human infants respond to tone of voice long before they comprehend the meaning of words

7. Failure of non-verbal communication in autistic children
80% of autistic children fail to answer the question correctly and instead point to the box.

8. Non-verbal intelligence in autism improves with vitamin D supplement
John Cannell hypothesis that autism is caused by vitamin D deficiency.

9. Pheromones Subconscious communication
Animals have a special pheromone detecting system-the Vomeronasal Organ (VNO)
Humans are susceptible to many of the same original pheromone effects described in animals
Bruce, Lee-Boot, Vandenburgh Effects
Often related to sexual behaviors
Bruce-abortion induced by new male odor
Lee-Boot-synchronized menstrual cycles
Vandenburgh-early onset of puberty in females exposed to unfamiliar male pheromones

10. VNO receptor responses to cues
Exposed to male, female, or heterospecific (other species) cues. Very little overlap, especially in the class 2 VRs.
Used fos staining to identify recently active cells in the VNO
Isogai et al 2011 Nature

11. Identification of mouse ESP1 pheromone receptor, V2Rp5
ESP1=exocrine secreting gland peptide 1 is released in male tears and stimulates vno neurons in female mice. Used c-fos reactivity combined with ish for all v2r’s in response to esp-1. found all activated neurons were v2rp5 positive.

12. ESP1-V2Rp5 interaction is necessary for female receptivity

13. Circuit for female lordosis
Haga et al, 2010 Nature

14. Scent marks are deposited according to lifestyle in wild mice
P. Californicus is monogamous and territorial, which P. Leucopus is polygamous and non-territorial.
Dark gray bars=pair housed animals, light gray=group housed virgin males
Marking goes up for both paired and single males when confronted with a male odor—territorial
Marking goes up only for single males when confronted with a female odor—mate attraction
Unbonded single control males don’t mark much at all, as they don’t have a territory or female to defend/attract
Becker et al, 2010

15. Female elephants signal estrous phase via pheromones in dung
Male sniff frequency on the y axis, comparing females in the follicular phase (pre-ovulate) to the luteal phase (post-ovulate)

16. Summary of male sniff responses toward staged female dung
Black: follicular phase (fertile)
Hatched: luteal phase (post-fertile)
White: control
Ghosal et al 2012

17. Females distinguish between odor of dominant and subordinate males
F-Msub/dom means she was exposed previously to subordinate or dominant male pheromones, bars represent sniffing or neurogenesis in response to actual sub or dom males.
AraC inhibits neural proliferation.

18. Male pheromones (dominant only) induce neurogenesis in females
Mak et al 2008

19. The assay for food preference learning

20. A mouse circuit for learning about safe food
Integration of food odors with CO from breath of trusted conspecific.

21. Humans may detect reproductive compatibility via pheromones
Red: MHC similar
Blue: MHC dissimilar
Left side-session 1, right side-session 2, half the people started using the pill, see a decrease in preference for MHC dissimilar men
No explanation for why the red bar isn’t higher in the first round of the study
Figure 3. Mean difference in odour desirability ratings for MHC-dissimilar and MHC-similar men by women before (session I; red bar) and during (session II, blue bar) the use of oral contraceptive pill. Positive scores indicate preferences for MHC- dissimilar odours. In session I, none of the women were using the pill, and in session II, 60 had started using the pill whereas 40 had not. A decreasing preference for dissimilarity across the two sessions was observed among the pill- using group and, to a lesser extent, an increasing preference for dissimilarity in the control group. This suggests that pill use disrupts preferences for genetically dissimilar men at MHC loci. Adapted, with permission, from Ref. [39].

22. Female pheromones influence male behavior
Solid line-control
Dashed-on birth control
Tip earnings by lap dancers