# More on how Androstadienone works

**URL:** <https://pheromonetalk.com/t/more-on-how-androstadienone-works/1544>\
**Category:** Studies & Abstracts\
**Created:** [January 13, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/more-on-how-androstadienone-works/1544 "2007-01-13T03:16:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![Socrates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Socrates](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Socrates)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/more-on-how-androstadienone-works/1544/1 "2007-01-13T03:16:49Z")

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[http://www.achems.org/clientuploads/Abstracts2006Meeting.pdf?PHPSESSID=43d2ed12f6b4ee1ca08f68333e4dcf6d](http://www.achems.org/clientuploads/Abstracts2006Meeting.pdf?PHPSESSID=43d2ed12f6b4ee1ca08f68333e4dcf6d)

PROBING FUNCTIONALITY OF THE HUMAN VNO  
Wyart C.J.1, Webster W.2, McClary A.3, Sobel N.3 1Psychology,  
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; 2Kaiser Medical,  
Berkeley, CA; 3Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley,  
berkeley, CA  
Mammalian pheromones influence behavior and/or hormonal state in  
conspecifics, often through the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Human  
[putative pheromones](https://pheromonelabs.com/product-category/advanced-pheromones/putative-pheromones/) have been identified, but whether human adults  
have a functional VNO remains controversial. Here we test whether the  
putative human VNO mediates the effects of smelling the putative  
pheromone 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND). Smelling AND influences  
autonomic nervous system activity, endocrine state, and mood in  
women. We set out to quantify these effects, and then ask whether we  
could negate them by physically and chemically blocking the putative  
VNO (VNOblock). 30 women are scheduled for three 2.5-hour-long  
sessions separated by 28 days. In a double-blind study, VNOblock was  
applied selectively before exposure to either AND or CONTROL.  
Session order was counter balanced, and AND/CONTROL were  
matched for intensity/pleasantness. This design allowed us to assess the  
differential impact of VNOblock on the physiological, endocrine, and  
psychological response to AND and CONTROL. To date, 31 women  
have completed the first day of study, 12 have completed 2 days. A  
limited pilot analysis of 7 subjects who were counterbalanced for days  
ONE and TWO suggests a greater physiological response to AND than  
CONTROL (F(1,69) = 10.3, p \< 0.002), but no interaction with  
VNOblock (F(1,69) = .8, p = 0.36). Although this points against  
functionality of the human VNO, the power of this comparison is  
minimal (n = 7). By Achems meeting time, all participants will have  
completed all days, and we expect to be able to determine whether  
blocking the putative human VNO influences the response to putative  
human pheromones.

DIFFERENT CEREBRAL ACTIVATION PRODUCED BY A  
PUTATIVE SOCIAL CHEMOSIGNAL AND PERCEPTUALLY  
SIMILAR ODORANTS  
Gerber J.C.1, Bensafi M.2, Husner A.3, Frasnelli J.4, Reden J.4, Hummel  
T.4 1University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 2Neuroscience,  
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; 3ENT Department,  
University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; 4ENT, University of Dresden,  
Dresden, Germany  
Aim of this study was to compare cerebral activation produced by a  
putative social chemosignal and perceptually similar odorants, namely  
androstadienone, androstenone, and butanol. A computer-controlled  
olfactometer was used for stimulus presentation (OM6b, Burghart  
Instruments, Germany); 12 healthy female volunteers (mean age 24  
years; 20 to 30 years) participated. The three odors were rated as  
equally intense, and received similar hedonic ratings (n.s.). Subjects  
were right-handed, normosmic and had no nasal pathology. They were  
examined in a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner (Siemens, Germany). Stimuli  
were presented in blocks (30 s odorless air, 30 s odorant; 1 s stimulus  
duration, 3 s ISI, randomized). Preliminary investigations showed  
differences in cortical representation, pointing to a higher involvement  
of limbic structures (cingulate cortex, amygdala) and orbitofronal cortex  
for androstadienone. The data suggest that a putative social chemosignal  
produces different patterns of activation compared to “normal” odors.