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Accessory chemosignaling mechanisms in primates.

¹Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. csevans1@excite.com

American Journal of Primatology

|May 23, 2006

Summary

Accessory olfaction, involving the vomeronasal complex, decodes social cues and aids neuroendocrine cell migration. This ancient sense, crucial for primate chemocommunication, shows evolutionary reduction in higher primates.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Evolutionary Biology
Sensory Systems

Background:

Accessory olfaction, mediated by the vomeronasal complex (VNC), projects to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) and limbic systems.
Recent advances illuminate molecular, physiological, and developmental aspects of primate accessory olfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare structural and functional features of primate accessory olfaction.
To clarify the role of accessory chemoreception in sensory mapping and social signaling.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of structural and functional features.
Review of molecular mechanisms, physiological signal processing, and ontogenetic timelines.

Main Results:

Accessory olfaction decodes social signals and facilitates GnRH cell migration from the olfactory placode to the hypothalamus.
Vomerolfaction overlaps with primary olfaction, detecting volatile and non-volatile compounds.
Molecular devices like binding proteins and MHC1 proteins are crucial for odorant transfer and recognition.

Conclusions:

Primate chemocommunication shares features with other mammals, with VNC function declining in Catarrhines and hominins.
Accessory olfaction persists as an ancient sensory system, retaining evolutionary history.

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