Sexual arousal, is it for mammals only?Hormones and Behavior, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 9 November 2010 Gregory F. Ball, Jacques Balthazart
The article (linked above) about avian sexual arousal may interest those who are familiar with the gene-cell-tissue-organ-organ system pathway that is required to link sexually dimorphic sensory input from the social environment to sex differences in behavior. Unlike the observational / theoretical approach of early ethologists, this article details the biological basis of sex differences in behavior associated with sensory input. As is the case with rats and most if not all other mammals, olfactory cues condition the sexual response. Conditioning is via experience and can also be associated with arbitrary sensory cues. Though the overriding influence of olfactory cues is obscured by some statements (e.g., “Quail, like other birds, predominantly use visual and auditory stimuli in their social life while olfactory or tactile sensations only play a minor role…”), those interested in looking further will read (e.g., …”neural activation (c-fos induction) observed during copulation in male quail primarily results from the perception of olfactory stimuli originating from the female…”) Olfactory primacy is central to my model for the development of sexual preferences across species (e.g, including birds).
James Vaughn Kohl was the first to accurately conceptualize human pheromones, and began presenting his findings to the scientific community in 1992. He continues to present to, and publish for, diverse scientific and lay audiences, while constantly monitoring the scientific presses for new information that is relevant to the development of his initial and ongoing conceptualization of human pheromones.
Recently, Kohl integrated scientific evidence that pinpoints the evolved neurophysiological mechanism that links olfactory/pheromonal input to genes in hormone-secreting cells of tissue in a specific area of the brain that is primarily involved in the sensory integration of olfactory and visual input, and in the development of human sexual preferences. His award-winning 2007 article/book chapter on multisensory integration: The Mind’s Eyes: Human pheromones, neuroscience, and male sexual preferences followed an award winning 2001 publication: Human pheromones: integrating neuroendocrinology and ethology, which was coauthored by disinguished researchers from Vienna. Rarely do researchers win awards in multiple disciplines, but Kohl’s 2001 award was for neuroscience, and his 2007 “Reiss Theory” award was for social science.
Kohl has worked as a medical laboratory scientist since 1974, and he has devoted more than twenty-five years to researching the relationship between the sense of smell and the development of human sexual preferences. Unlike many researchers who work with non-human subjects, medical laboratory scientists use the latest technology from many scientific disciplines to perform a variety of specialized diagnostic medical testing on people.
James V. Kohl is certified with:
* American Society for Clinical Pathology
* American Medical Technologists
James V. Kohl is a member of:
* Society for Neuroscience
* Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
* Association for Chemoreception Sciences
* Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
* International Society for Human Ethology
* American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
* Mensa, the international high IQ society
