Work

Distinctive Responses in the Medial Amygdala to Same-Species and Different-Species Pheromones

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: Chemosignals related to reproductive and social status (pheromones) carry messages between opposite-sex and same-sex individuals in many species. Each individual must distinguish signals relevant to its own social behavior with conspecifics from signals used by other (heterospecific) species relevant to their social behavior. In male hamsters, the medial amygdala responded in a categorically different way to conspecific stimuli (socially relevant) and heterospecific stimuli (not socially relevant but serving similar purposes for other species), and may play an important role in this decision. Immediate-early gene responses to conspecific chemosignals and heterospecific chemosignals were characteristically different. The categorical responses, generated by chemosensory input from the vomeronasal organ and (probably) GABA inhibition within the amygdala, were not apparent at more peripheral sensory levels. This is the first evidence for an important role of the amygdala, a limbic structure known to be involved in social and emotional behavior, in discrimination of species specificity in chemosignals.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1139-04.2004

Authors: Michael Meredith, Jenne M. Westberry

Institution: Florida State University

Language: English

Topic: Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies

Subfield: Sensory Systems

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Awards: Central Processing of Chemosensory Signals, Chemosensory Processing in Chemical Communication, Chemosensory Training Program (CTP)