Sold on the human VNO?

Recent discoveries show that human pheromones are signals that are processed by cells in our main olfactory system. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17917120

Accordingly, as they do in all other mammals, pheromones activate the hypothalamus in humans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19235878

Human pheromones cause behavior to change via their effects on hormones secreted by the hypothalamus. https://senseofsmell.org/papers/Human_Pheromones_Final%207-15-09.pdf

Though it is widely reported to exist, the adult human vomeronasal organ (VNO) is not functional. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10531049; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11369678; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15470677

It contains few nerve cells and consists largely of epithelial cells, which means it has no sensory function. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4068105

Most cells of the adult human VNO express the protein markers of skin cells, not nerve cells. No cells have synaptic contacts, and there is no evidence that any nerve connects with the human VNO. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10944499; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12107500

Finally, no cells express the protein that is the primary indicator of mature olfactory nerve cells. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/336785

If you think you’ve found scientific support for misleading claims about a functional human VNO, look further and see what other researchers say in the links to the articles above.

These next few links are to articles that focus on research that apparently is supported by a woman who claims to be the co-discoverer of human pheromones based on the acclamations of television.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9883309 comment on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9494686. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15327919 comment on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11897264, and on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9494686.

About James V. Kohl 1308 Articles
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