The putative pheromone androstadienone activates cortical fields in the human brain related to social cognition.
Using 15O-butanol positron emission tomography (PET), we measured regional cerebral blood flow changes in five healthy young women during exposure to androstadienone, a putative human pheromone, as well as pleasant (gamma-methyl-ionone), unpleasant (methyl-thio-butanoate), and neutral (dipropylene glycol; vehicle compound) odours. Compared with the odorous substances, androstadienone activated a widely distributed neuronal network. Two large cortical fields exhibited consistent activation in each contrast: the anterior part of the inferior lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the posterior part of the superior temporal cortex (STP). Intriguingly, these areas were deactivated by gamma-methyl-ionone and methyl-thio-butanoate. These brain regions can be identified as cortical fields underlying other than olfactory functions, including various aspects of social cognition and attention.
Gulyás
Balázs
B
Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. balazs.gulyas@neuro.ki.se
Kéri
Szabolcs
S
O'Sullivan
Brandon T
BT
Decety
Jean
J
Roland
Per E
PE
D000328:Adult; D000730:Androstadienes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D000440:Butanols; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009812:Odorants; D010675:Pheromones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D000730:Androstadienes; D000440:Butanols; D010675:Pheromones; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C003524:4,16-androstadien-3-one