The vomeronasal organ and chemical sensitivity: a hypothesis.

The vomeronasal organ and chemical sensitivity: a hypothesis.

Environmental exposures to very low levels of airborne chemicals are associated with adverse symptoms, often affecting multiple organ systems, in the phenomenon of chemical sensitivity (CS). Recent surveys suggest a significant prevalence of chemically sensitive subjects in the United States, but the mechanism linking exposure to symptoms remains unclear, despite the advancement of a variety of...

The Vomeronasal Organ: A Neglected Organ

The vomeronasal organ.

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a chemoreceptor organ enclosed in a cartilaginous capsule and separated from the main olfactory epithelium. The vomeronasal neurons have two distinct types of receptor that differ from each other and from the large family of odorant receptors. The VNO receptors are seven-transmembrane receptors coupled to GTP-binding protein, but appear to activate inositol 1,4,5-...

Structure and function of the vomeronasal organ.

Many animals use their vomeronasal organs to gain direct and specific contact with chemical cues released by congeners and in biological fluids. These cues provide information about the physiological status of the emitter and facilitate or regulate social interactions such as sexual relationships. The present review gives a short description of the discovery of the vomeronasal organ and the piv...

The human vomeronasal organ. Part VI: A nonchemosensory vestige in the context of major variations of the mammalian vomeronasal organ

A vomeronasal organ (VNO) is found in most extant amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, but is absent in extant archosaurs (birds and crocodilians). In amniotes, the VNO differs greatly from its basal form, a simple neuroepithelial patch, as it still exists in most lissamphibians, and in some taxa (e.g., primates and bats) it presents extreme variations in epithelial structure. The history of the ...