http://www.dana.org/WorkArea/downloadass...x?id=19402


This is a well written article on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of pheromones. It in adobe format.

Tisha

Nice article, Tisha.

In our little community of "pheromone testers", such as we are...we know that despite findings of a non-functional VNO, in humans, that some pheromones/putatives actually do work and that they are finding their way through the olfactory maze and being recepted ... somewhere, somehow. Otherwise, we wouldn't be getting results, would've quit "testing", and packed it in a long time ago.


Bella

(09-03-2009 3:06 AM)Bella Wrote:  In our little community of "pheromone testers", such as we are...we know that despite findings of a non-functional VNO, in humans, that some pheromones/putatives actually do work and that they are finding their way through the olfactory maze and being recepted ... somewhere, somehow. Otherwise, we wouldn't be getting results, would've quit "testing", and packed it in a long time ago.

Bella

Obviously, the non-functional human VNO does not mean that pheromones don't work; it means that they don't work the way we’ve been told they do. That means that many people are still misinformed. Take a look around at the marketing sites, and see how many of them are still advertising that their products work via a non-functional organ. Even a major cosmetic company is doing this. How much louder can this scream conceptual ignorance than it already does? (See Kohl and Francoeur 1995, 2002 for the concept.)

The biggest problem with the human VNO approach was the failure to link it to a hormone response, while reporting (in error) that chemical signals acting via the human VNO affected behavior. In my animal model, which includes species from yeasts to primates, pheromones elicit a typical mammalian GnRH-driven luteinizing hormone (LH) response. The LH response links specific mixtures of pheromones to hormones. Without the link to a hormone response, you can't get to pheromone-driven sex differences in behavior. Unfortunately, it takes some time and effort to learn about this, which means it’s less likely to be learned by people who just want to find a product that works.

During the next few months, some of us will be reading about the likelihood of receptors in GnRH-secreting nerve cells of the olfactory system (probably associated with nerve zero) that alter GnRH-associated signal transduction. It will probably be more difficult for marketers to convey this neuroscientific message, than it was to invent a non-functional pathway and conceptualize it as a “sixth sense” –something that the relatively uninformed masses could buy into—after having been convinced by the marketers that their products worked.

James V. Kohl
http://www.pheromones.com

(09-03-2009 9:56 AM)jvkohl Wrote:  ...In my animal model, which includes species from yeasts to primates, pheromones elicit a typical mammalian GnRH-driven luteinizing hormone (LH) response. The LH response links specific mixtures of pheromones to hormones. Without the link to a hormone response, you can't get to pheromone-driven sex differences in behavior.

I didn't know a yeast was a mammal.
But I get your point.

Quote:During the next few months, some of us will be reading about the likelihood of receptors in GnRH-secreting nerve cells of the olfactory system (probably associated with nerve zero) that alter GnRH-associated signal transduction. It will probably be more difficult for marketers to convey this neuroscientific message, than it was to invent a non-functional pathway and conceptualize it as a “sixth sense” –something that the relatively uninformed masses could buy into—after having been convinced by the marketers that their products worked.

Ah yessss nerve zero, something I've been advocating as the "replacement" for the VNO for a couple of years.

(09-03-2009 1:03 PM)Mtnjim Wrote:  I didn't know a yeast was a mammal.
But I get your point.

No, you missed my point. Try reading what I wrote again. The animal model includes yeast and it extends from single-celled organisms to primates like us. My point is that the mammalian model starts with a single-celled organism, something that has great significance across a continuum of evolved species that reproduce sexually. I detailed this in Kohl (2006; 2007) which won an award for the best theoretical development. So, your misinterpretation and comment with is somewhat annoying. Not your fault, nonetheless, since this can hardly be considered an in-depth discussion. On the other hand, the comment seemed overly trite, and misstated what I wrote.

jvkohl Wrote:

Quote:During the next few months, some of us will be reading about the likelihood of receptors in GnRH-secreting nerve cells of the olfactory system (probably associated with nerve zero)...

(09-03-2009 1:03 PM)Mtnjim Wrote:  Ah yessss nerve zero, something I've been advocating as the "replacement" for the VNO for a couple of years.

Tell us more about your advocacy. As I recall you were supportive of me before I was banned from the Love-Scent Forum. Here's a link to the "Nerve Zero" article I was interviewed for.
http://greatreporter.com/mambo/content/view/1470/16/

Additional info available on GnRH receptors in nerve zero should probably be discussed elsewhere, since I've lost my sense of humor debating VNO issues during the past decade.

James V. Kohl
http://www.pheromones.com

(09-03-2009 5:40 PM)jvkohl Wrote:  No, you missed my point. ... So, your misinterpretation and comment with is somewhat annoying. Not your fault, nonetheless, since this can hardly be considered an in-depth discussion. On the other hand, the comment seemed overly trite, and misstated what I wrote.

Dude, lighten up, your sense of humor needs a tune up. It was a joke. I was well aware of what you were saying, hence my statement "I get your point".

jvkohl Wrote:

Quote:During the next few months, some of us will be reading about the likelihood of receptors in GnRH-secreting nerve cells of the olfactory system (probably associated with nerve zero)...

(09-03-2009 1:03 PM)Mtnjim Wrote:  Ah yessss nerve zero, something I've been advocating as the "replacement" for the VNO for a couple of years.

Quote:Tell us more about your advocacy. As I recall you were supportive of me before I was banned from the Love-Scent Forum. Here's a link to the "Nerve Zero" article I was interviewed for.
http://greatreporter.com/mambo/content/view/1470/16/

Additional info available on GnRH receptors in nerve zero should probably be discussed elsewhere, since I've lost my sense of humor debating VNO issues during the past decade.

My comments regarding Nerve Zero are scattered all over the place, both here at Love Scent and at Pherotalk. Yes, I was definitely supporting your position with each of those postings. I am firmly convinced that Nerve Zero does what the non functional VNO used to do, and have been since I posted the link to the article in Scientific American Psychology at Love Scent a couple of years ago. My last comment was where I "tip toed" into a "conversation" you were having with Xiph (or was it Diane), I forget, I'm getting old and senile. The location of the origin and termination of that nerve seems to support phenomenal activity of the nerve.

(09-03-2009 5:59 PM)Mtnjim Wrote:  The location of the origin and termination of that nerve seems to support phenomenal activity of the nerve.

I explained it's evolutionary origin in Kohl (2006). The across species conservation of the GnRH molecule, and diversification of its receptor probably account for the sexual preferences of all species. Nerve Zero is a relatively recent development in this regard. Still, it is hard to imagine why it's only now being examined for receptor responsivity. The GnRH cells it contains probably contribute to the GnRH-directed luteinizing hormone response in mammals exposed to pheromones. The effect of androstenol on LH in women is just one example of this.

James V. Kohl
http://www.pheromones.com

I decided to stress the evolutionary importance of GnRH across species by providing the citation and abstract excerpt below:

A novel inhibitory gonadotropin-releasing hormone-related neuropeptide in the ascidian, Ciona intestinalis. Kawada T, Aoyama M, Okada I, Sakai T, Sekiguchi T, Ogasawara M, Satake H. Peptides. 2009 Aug 24

Abstract
The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) family peptides are most widely distributed neuropeptides and/or neurophysial hormones. GnRH is involved in diverse neuroendocrine, paracrine, autocrine, and neurotransmitter/neuromodulatory functions in the central and peripheral nervous system as well as peripheral tissues. .............

Also, we discussed the ability to get from yeast to sexual preferences in mammals in a 1996 article. "Parenthetically it is interesting to note even the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a gene-based equivalent of sexual orientation (i.e., a-factor and alpha-factor physiologies). These differences arise from different epigenetic modifications of an otherwise identical MAT locus (Runge and Zakian, 1996; Wu and Haber, 1995)." see Diamond Binstock and Kohl, 1996 page 347.

Epigenetics has since become a hot topic, but few people seem to consider the epigenetic influence of pheromones -- a direct effect on genes in GnRH-secreting nerve cells. I'm past the point where I think other Forum participants are likely to understand much of this. It's much easier just to try different products and hope you'll find something worth the money you spend.

James V. Kohl
http://www.pheromones.com