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Brain response to putative pheromones in homosexual men
Ivanka Savic1, Hans Berglund, Per Lindström
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. ivanka.savic-berglund@neuro.ki.se
Summary
Human pheromones like androstadienone (AND) and estra-1,3,5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol (EST) activate specific brain regions. Homosexual men, like heterosexual women, showed hypothalamic activation to AND, suggesting a link to sexual orientation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Pheromone Research
- Sexual Differentiation
Background:
- Candidate human pheromones, 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND) and estra-1,3,5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol (EST), are found in bodily fluids.
- Previous research indicated sex-specific hypothalamic activation by AND and EST using positron emission tomography (PET).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the brain activation patterns induced by AND and EST in homosexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women.
- To investigate the relationship between sexual orientation and neural responses to putative human pheromones.
Main Methods:
- Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to measure brain activity.
- Subjects (homosexual men, heterosexual men, heterosexual women) were exposed to AND and EST, and common odors.
- Brain activation patterns were analyzed, focusing on hypothalamic regions.
Main Results:
- Homosexual men exhibited hypothalamic activation in response to AND, similar to heterosexual women but different from heterosexual men.
- Maximal activation occurred in the medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus, a region crucial for sexual behavior.
- Common odors elicited similar activation patterns across all groups, engaging only the olfactory cortex.
Conclusions:
- The brain processes putative human pheromones differently from common odors.
- Neural responses to AND in the hypothalamus are linked to sexual orientation.
- Findings suggest a neurobiological basis for sexual orientation related to pheromone processing.