Social Odors: Alarm Pheromones and Social Buffering

In this chapter, I describe 2 types of olfactory communication in rats, which appear to arouse anxiety and relief, respectively. In alarm pheromonal communication, rats release 4-methylpentanal and hexanal from their perianal region when they are stressed. These molecules activate the anxiety circuit, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, when 4-methylpentanal and hexanal are simultaneously detected by the vomeronasal system and the main olfactory system, respectively. Consequently, recipient rats show a variety of anxiety responses, depending on the threatening stimuli. In appeasing olfactory communication, non-stressed rats release an appeasing olfactory signal, which is detected by the main olfactory system of other rats. When detected, this olfactory signal suppresses activation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala and, as a result, ameliorates stress responses elicited by an auditory conditioned stimulus during social buffering phenomenon. Because social buffering appears to be based on affinity and attachment to accompanying animals, the appeasing olfactory signal may arouse relief in rats. A definition of social buffering is also proposed as we still have no set definition for the term social buffering yet.