In article <19970221161400.LAA16237 at ladder02.news.aol.com>,
skylinepep at aol.com says...
>Please give me some input on thias question from a colleague:
>> I'm interested in the
> neuro-peptides, particularly which of them can be part of a response to
> olfactory triggers. I think this is the mechanism of many of our
> reactions to smells. I'm wondering how consistent these responses are
> over a wide population and how well they can be quantified.
In the mammalian model of olfactory-hormonal-behavioral reciprocity,
pulsatility of the decapeptide: gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is
affected by pheromones. However, since GnRH cannot be directly measured
in humans, you will find quantifiable relevance only in the measurement
of luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone. To my knowledge only
one group has reported the change in LH/FSH pulsatility, upon exposure to
a human pheromone. Nonetheless, extrapolation from the mammalian model
should allow one to anticipate further empirical data that support
this report (Berliner et. al. 1996). After all, how else would one
explain human "phenomena" like ovarian synchrony, couple synchrony, and
coitus-induced ovulation--if not by extending the mammalian model of
pheromonally altered GnRH pulsatility?
Jim Kohl
http://www.pheromones.com
P.S. A fraction of mammalian GnRH has been shown to act as a
neurotransmitter, thus appearing to exert direct, activational effects on
behavior.
