View source for Androstadienone

[[File:Androstadienone.png]]

==Synonyms==
androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one

Delta 4,16-androstadien-3-one

androstadienone

==Effects==
Androstadienone is a bonding pheromone which increases the production of [[cortisol]] in women. Source needed for whether the same effect occurs in men. It decreases physical distance, is generally mood elevating in women and may smell aversive to some men. There is some peer-reviewed evidence that androstadienone may increase focus on emotional/social information. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19470369 source]

Some have speculated that the depletion of cortisol precursors should also be considered as part of the effect, since those same steroid precursors would be used to make other molecules like testosterone. As Dexter commented "It's not just the money you stole, but who you robbed to get it." Mixing androstadienone with other molecules can reduce the negative effects. The precise array of molecules it should be mixed with is still a matter of debate. 

Androstadienone can cause depression in men, though it is generally considered to cause mood elevation in women. Men who are already depressed tend to be less vulnerable to androstadienone induced depression. Whether this is because additional depression is ignored, because of a person's hormonal profile, or because SSRIs and anti depressants makes a person resistant to androstadienone induced depression is unclear. 

Depression can be hard to self-identify for some men. One of the most objective measures is an increased need for sleep. 

High testosterone men tend to be most vulnerable to androstadienone induced depression.  

The full effect of androstadienone may require as long as 2 hours of exposure to manifest, based on facial heat map studies published in the formal literature. 
 
According to the literature, sensitivity to the smell of androstadienone may increase with increased exposure over days and months.

==Smell==

The smell of androstadienone involves, in part, activation of the [[OR7D4]] receptor, which is also involved in smelling androstenone. There is some evidence that sensitivity to the smell of androstadienone may increase with repeated exposures.

==Pheromone Dosage==
For women, typically a max around 70 mcg, with a favored dose around 30 mcg , though it's not clear if this max is related to impurities related to synthesis or issues with the molecule itself. Doses ~1mcg have been reported as having a noted positive effect. 

The ideal dosage for interacting with men, if such exists, is uncertain but far less than the dosage for dealing with women.

==In Vivo (in the body)==

Androstadienone is a direct precursor to Testosterone via 17 Beta HSD and Estrone via Aromatase


==Androstadienone related depression==

Androstadienone increases cortisol levels in the blood. Cortisol, in turn, raises the level of glucose in the blood by stimulating the liver to produce glucose from stored non-carbohydrate sources such as proteins and lipids and to release it into the blood. While some cortisol is needed for an individual to be healthy, unusually high levels of cortisol over a long period of time are considered undesirable by body builders who want to stay trim and build muscle. 

A small dose of aspirin at night (less than 100 mcg) has been associated with a reduction in the morning cortisol peak, wheras aspirin in the morning was not associated with a reduction in cortisol.

==Related Research==

	
===Thermal signatures of human pheromones in sexual and reproductive behavior===

Noteworthy from this study is the fact that some manifestations of A1 exposure require two HOURS to manifest.
http://precedings.nature.com/documents/4477/version/1


===Men's hypothalamus responds most strongly to lower doses of androstadienone than women's===

Three different concentrations of androstadienone diluted in propylene glycol (10 mM "high," 0.1 mM "medium" and 0.001 mM "low") were delivered to the subjects' nostrils using a computer-controlled stimulator. 

When exposed to the "high" androstadienone concentration, women showed stronger hypothalamic activation than men. By contrast, men showed more hypothalamic activation when exposed to the "medium" androstadienone concentrations in comparison to women. 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22815889


===Androstadienone increases focus in females===
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14644633

===Exposure to androstadinone increases male and female reaction to negative social cues===
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22913022


===Androstadienone improves mood in women, but also sensitivity to pain===
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16546426

===Sustained human chemosignal unconsciously alters brain function.===

his study demonstrates that Delta 4,16-androstadien-3-one (androstadienone) alters cerebral glucose utilization both in subcortical regions and in areas of the neocortex not exclusively associated with olfaction. These widely distributed changes are consistent with modulation of an integrated neural network for regulation of emotional and attentional states.





===The structure of cortisol===
[[File:Cortisol.png]]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol