Using 15
O-butanol positron emission tomography (PET), we measured regional cerebral blood flowchanges in five healthy young
women during exposure to androstadienone, a putative human pheromone, as well as pleasant (-methyl-ionone),
unpleasant (methyl-thio-butanoate), and neutral (dipropylene glycol; vehicle compound) odours. Compared with the
odorous substances, androstadienone activated a widely distributed neuronal network. Two large cortical fields
exhibited consistent activation in each contrast: the anterior part of the inferior lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC)
and the posterior part of the superior temporal cortex (STP). Intriguingly, these areas were deactivated by
-methyl-ionone and methyl-thio-butanoate.
These brain regions can be identified as cortical fields underlying
other than olfactory functions, including various aspects of social cognition and attention.
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