The vomeronasal organ is what?

Today, perhaps, you will not meet a person who does not know what pheromones are. Perfume with pheromones, "scent of temptation" and the smell of love are widely used by marketers and advertisers terms. The olfactory system, which is responsible for the recognition of volatile chemosignals associated with sexual and maternal instincts, controls neuroendocrine and behavioral responses, is called vomeronasal. And the main receptor department of this system is the vomeronasal organ. Responsible for the interaction of organisms of one species, it was recently discovered in humans and its decisive role in the formation of behavioral reflexes was proved.

A novel with pheromones

It all started in 1870, when the French biologist Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (1823-1915) left the butterfly for a while in the laboratory. Returning to the laboratory, he saw that a few male butterflies had gathered at the window. And in whatever room he could carry the female, the males would follow her unceasingly. So in biology appeared the concept of "attractants" - the substances that the female separates out to attract males. Only by 1959, having accumulated enough knowledge about volatile substances and their role in reproductive behavior, entomologist from Switzerland Martin Lusher (1917-1979) introduced the concept of "pheromone" as a term formed from the fusion of the Greek words "carry" and " Stimulate ".

Pheromones of plants and animals

Modern biology, by this concept, means a group of volatile chemical compounds that isolate plants and animals to provide communication, signaling, and sexual stimulation. Pheromones are not only of sexual significance, although it is this part of their action that is most mysterious and interesting. By their meaning, they can be territorial (animals mark territory), guides (ants point the way to their counterparts), repelling (plants release signaling substances when attacking pests) and many others. The first pure pheromone was isolated in 1956 and was a powerful attractant of the butterfly of the silkworm - it forced males to wings in "fluttering dance" in the lowest possible doses. It is believed that if one female butterfly will immediately allocate the entire stock of this pheromone, it can attract a trillion males. If there are pheromones, there must be a system for their perception.

Evolution of Vomeronasal Smell

For the first time the vomeronasal organ appears in amphibians, the animals already have a separate nerve and bulb, cartilage, vessels and glands in this system. In embryogenesis, this organ is present in all groups: from amphibians to humans. In mature individuals its development is different: from actively working (amphibians, snakes, felines, canine) to a reduced and total absence (whales, dolphins, bats).

The Jacobson Organ

Two centuries ago the Dane Ludwig Jacobson (1783-1843) described a group of cells located in the bones of the skull between the nose and mouth. These islets of receptors, other than olfactory and taste, will later be called a vomeronasal organ. The organ of Jacobson was described in insects, snakes, rodents, domestic animals. Sniffing, cats sometimes open their mouths, as if grimacing. It is believed that so the influx of air into the vomeronasal organ in cats increases. But snakes increase the perception of pheromones by translational movements of the tongue. Therefore, when a snake makes such movements - it does not try to scare you, it sniffs you.

The human vomeronasal organ

For a long time it was believed that in humans these islets of sensitive cells are only in the embryonic state, and then they disappear. In 1703, the military surgeon Frederick Ruysch (1638-1731) described the unusual fossa of a soldier with a wound in the nose area. And in 1891, the French physician Potique (1841-1903) discovered a vomeronasal organ in 25% of the 200 patients examined. Numerous experiments and histological studies were shared by biologists. And today in the scientific community there are disagreements about the vomeronasal organ and its role in people's lives: from the complete denial of even its existence in adults to its critically maximal value.

Jacobson's sensitive islets

The vomeronasal organ is a narrow sac, a few millimeters long, lined with a sensitive epithelium. They are located on both sides of the nasal septum (bone at the intersection of the nasal septum and the sky is called dead), very far from the olfactory zone. In humans, the vomeronasal organ of smell is represented by a small (up to 1 mm in diameter) fossa, which continues with a tube of 2 to 10 millimeters in length. The size of this organ is very different for all people and can vary throughout life. It is found in all races and in both sexes. The histology of the vomeronasal organ consists of a receptor epithelium with sensory neurons, the axons of which terminate in the amygdala, a special zone of the brain in the hypothalamus.

A special scent

What is the difference between the vomeronasal organ and the sense of smell? Perception of odors is carried out in the epithelial cells of the sinuses of the nose, where the chemical stimulus is converted to electric and transmitted through the nerve cells to the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres. There is an analysis of the signal and its tonality, recognition and formation of the image. The endings of vomeronasal neurons are in the amygdala, a zone that is responsible for mood and emotions and does not affect the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres. That is why these attractants or pheromones can not be described and act solely on a subconscious level.

Mother-Child System

The role of vomeronasal smell in the relationship between the mother and her baby is proved in animal experiments. Cubs of mammals are isolated by specific pheromones, which stimulate the manifestation of maternal instincts in the female. Removal of the vomeronasal organ in females leads to a sharp inhibition of maternal behavior. There is a theory that sexual disorders and homosexual predilections in people can form malfunctions in the level of sex hormones during pregnancy of the mother. This sphere of work of the vomeronasal olfactory system has been little studied and many discoveries are concealed.

Vomeronasal organ and choice of partner

Influence through the subconscious explains the impossibility of controlling jealousy, attraction, the pain of unrequited love and passion. Human skin, especially nasolabial folds and axillary cavities - is a whole factory of pheromones. They are almost without a smell, but it is through the vomeronasal perception that they determine the sexual attractiveness of the partner and decide who is nice to us and who does not. It is sexual pheromones responsible for love at first sight, or rather, from the first smell. The study of the effects of pheromones on humans began in the 1990s, but today there is real evidence of their role in the formation of sexual behavior. Pheromones are found that form sexual aversion to close relatives and prevent incest. The pheromones that produce the mother's nipple are identified, and the child knows exactly where the milk is and whether it is his mother. There are pheromones that soothe, lower blood pressure and reduce the heartbeat.

Synchronization of life

It has been experimentally proved that when living in the same area or working in a confined space of several women, they synchronize menstrual cycles (Prof. Martha McClintock, University of Chicago, 1970). Control of the cycle is carried out with the help of several hormones, which serve as a signal for the development of various pheromones. Gradually the difference in the date of onset of menstruation in women is reduced and, in the end, the cycles come to synchronism. The same results are also shown in experiments on animals.

The formula of sexuality

Another experiment was conducted by Czech scientists led by Jan Galvichek. For a month, women were forbidden to use deodorizing drugs, and under the armpits they wore gaskets. These gaskets were offered to test for men, choosing the most attractive ones from them. By results, the smell of women who were at the stage of entering into ovulation, that is, they were in a state of readiness for conception, was most popular. What once again demonstrates the wisdom of nature in organizing life on earth.

«Aroma of passion»

Scientists do not stop looking for that secret component that will pave the way to the partner's heart and will be able to maintain a romantic relationship. Perfume products with pheromones are no surprise. Many companies and corporations declare their products as containing pheromones and possessing the properties of attracting people of the opposite sex. The secret of production and the composition of perfumes are kept in the strictest secrecy. And you can not believe in the efficacy of synthetic pheromones, but the facts speak for themselves.

Remedy for romance

The action of synthetic hormones was clearly demonstrated by the experiment of psychology professor Norma McCoy from San Francisco University. To test the means that will make life more romantic, offered 30 women of the fair sex at the age from 19 to 48 years. Every day, the test and control (placebo) groups added a drop of the substance to their perfumes. Three menstrual cycles summed up the result. In 74% of participants who used synthetic pheromones, sexual activity increased, and in the control group this indicator was 24%.

And yet synthetic pheromones are just a temporary veil, under which our essence is hidden. And even in experiments with animals, sexual behavior arose not only on the dispersion of pheromones, but also on the presence of individuals of the opposite sex. In addition, the "sixth sense" because the sixth, that we rely on choosing a partner not only for him, but also for the other five of our senses. Search for a partner using synthetic pheromones or rely on the existing reality - choose you.