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The testosterone derivative androstadienone and the estrogen-like steroid estratetraenol are possible human pheromones. Inhalation of these compounds causes anterior-hypothalamic activity on PET scans, with differences according to the subjects’ sex. These authors studied the pattern of brain activation on PET scans in 12 heterosexual men, 12 homosexual men, and 12 heterosexual women.
Scans of both heterosexual women and homosexual men showed responses to smelling androstadienone, whereas scans of heterosexual men did not. Maximal activation was in the medial-preoptic and anterior-hypothalamic areas, which are thought to be involved in sexual behavior. Estratetraenol exposure resulted in hypothalamic activation in only heterosexual men. Test…