Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Long-Term Follow-Up of JCOG1008, a Randomized Phase II/III Trial of Chemoradiotherapy Comparing 3-Weekly Cisplatin With Weekly Cisplatin in Postoperative Head and Neck Cancer.

Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology·2026

Same author

Oncolytic Herpes Virus G47∆ Potentiates ADCC-Inducing Molecular Targeted Therapy via Coordinated Activation of Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses.

Molecular cancer therapeutics·2026

Same author

Presynaptic computation of reward intensities through the dual autoreceptor system.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same author

Risk factors for aspiration pneumonia related to postoperative chemoradiotherapy for high-risk head and neck cancer: A supplementary analysis of a phase II/III JCOG1008 trial.

Oral oncology·2026

Same author

Extinction, spontaneous recovery and ABA renewal of Pavlovian conditioning in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same author

Profiling presynaptic scaffolds using split-GFP reconstitution reveals cell-type-specific spatial configurations in the fly brain.

eLife·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Published on: August 4, 2014

Alarm pheromone processing in the ant brain: an evolutionary perspective.

Makoto Mizunami¹, Nobuhiro Yamagata, Hiroshi Nishino

¹Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University Sapporo, Japan.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

|August 3, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Ants use alarm pheromones like formic acid to signal danger. This information is processed in specific brain regions, potentially evolving from general odor systems for colony defense.

Keywords:

aggression antennal lobe communication evolution mushroom body pheromone social insect

More Related Videos

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Published on: July 21, 2014

Volatile Sex Pheromone Extraction and Chemoattraction Assay in Caenorhabditis elegans

Volatile Sex Pheromone Extraction and Chemoattraction Assay in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: August 9, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Published on: August 4, 2014

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Published on: July 21, 2014

Volatile Sex Pheromone Extraction and Chemoattraction Assay in Caenorhabditis elegans

Volatile Sex Pheromone Extraction and Chemoattraction Assay in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: August 9, 2024

Area of Science:

Neuroethology
Chemical Ecology
Insect Behavior

Background:

Social insects rely on pheromones for communication, including alarm signals for colony defense.
Understanding how ants process alarm pheromone information is crucial for deciphering their social behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent advances in understanding alarm pheromone information processing in the ant brain.
To identify specific neural pathways involved in processing alarm pheromones in ants.

Main Methods:

Analysis of neural processing of formic acid and n-undecane (alarm pheromone components) in the ant brain.
Tracing projection neuron pathways from the antennal lobe to higher brain centers.
Identifying neuronal responses to specific pheromones and non-pheromonal odors.

Main Results:

Alarm pheromone information is processed in specific glomeruli of the antennal lobe.
Projection neurons transmit this information to the lateral horn and mushroom body calyces.
Specific neuronal populations in the protocerebrum respond to individual pheromone components or integrate pheromonal and non-pheromonal signals.

Conclusions:

The ant alarm pheromone system likely evolved from the general odor processing system.
Specific neural circuits in the ant brain are dedicated to processing alarm pheromone signals for defense.
These circuits integrate sensory information to control complex behaviors like aggression.