S. Vaglio
Volatile signals during pregnancy
Vaglio, S.
Authors
Contributors
G. Litwack
Editor
Abstract
Scents play a key role in mediating reproductive interactions in many vertebrates including mammals. Nowadays, several studies indicate that humans seem to use remarkably olfactory communication and are even able to produce and perceive pheromones. Furthermore, over the past several years, it became increasingly clear that pheromone-like chemical signals probably play a role in offspring identification and mother recognition. Recently developed technical procedures (solid-phase microextraction and dynamic headspace extraction) now allow investigators to characterize volatile compounds with high reliability. We analyzed the volatile compounds in sweat patch samples collected from the para-axillary and nipple–areola regions of women during pregnancy and after childbirth. We hypothesized that, at the time of birth and during the first weeks of life, the distinctive olfactory pattern of the para-axillary area is probably useful to newborn babies for recognizing and distinguishing their own mother, whereas the characteristic pattern of the nipple–areola region is probably useful as a guide to nourishment.
Citation
Vaglio, S. (2010). Volatile signals during pregnancy. In G. Litwack (Ed.), Pheromones (289-304). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0083-6729%2810%2983012-2
Online Publication Date | Sep 8, 2010 |
---|---|
Publication Date | Sep 8, 2010 |
Deposit Date | Oct 2, 2013 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 289-304 |
Series Title | Vitamins and hormones. |
Book Title | Pheromones. |
Chapter Number | 12 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1016/s0083-6729%2810%2983012-2 |
Keywords | Mother–infant interactions, Offspring identification, Mother recognition, Fetal olfactory learning, Amniotic fluid, Human pheromones, Volatile compounds, DHS, SPME, GC–MS. |
Additional Information | Invited Review |
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