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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women
Science advances, Vol.7(47), eabg1530
19/Nov/2021
PMID: 34797713
Abstract
In terrestrial mammals, body volatiles can effectively trigger or block conspecific aggression. Here, we tested whether hexadecanal (HEX), a human body volatile implicated as a mammalian-wide social chemosignal, affects human aggression. Using validated behavioral paradigms, we observed a marked dissociation: Sniffing HEX blocked aggression in men but triggered aggression in women. Next, using functional brain imaging, we uncovered a pattern of brain activity mirroring behavior: In both men and women, HEX increased activity in the left angular gyrus, an area implicated in perception of social cues. HEX then modulated functional connectivity between the angular gyrus and a brain network implicated in social appraisal (temporal pole) and aggressive execution (amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex) in a sex-dependent manner consistent with behavior: increasing connectivity in men but decreasing connectivity in women. These findings implicate sex-specific social chemosignaling at the mechanistic heart of human aggressive behavior.
Details
- Title
- Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women
- Creators
- Eva Mishor - 972WIS_INST___123Daniel Amir - 972WIS_INST___123Tali Weiss - 972WIS_INST___123Danielle Honigstein - 972WIS_INST___123Aharon Weissbrod - 972WIS_INST___123Ethan Livne - Weizmann Institute of ScienceLior Gorodisky - 972WIS_INST___123Shiri Karagach - 972WIS_INST___123Aharon Ravia - 972WIS_INST___123Kobi Snitz - 972WIS_INST___123Diyala Karawani - 972WIS_INST___123Rotem Zirler - 972WIS_INST___123Reut Weissgross - 972WIS_INST___123Timna Soroka - 972WIS_INST___123Yaara Endevelt-Shapira - 972WIS_INST___123Shani Agron - 972WIS_INST___123Liron Rozenkrantz - 972WIS_INST___123Netta Reshef - 972WIS_INST___123Edna Furman-Haran - 972WIS_INST___113Heinz Breer - University of HohenheimJoerg Strotmann - University of HohenheimTatsuya Uebi - Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, JapanMamiko Ozaki - Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, JapanNoam Sobel (Corresponding Author) - 972WIS_INST___123
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Science advances, Vol.7(47), eabg1530; 19/Nov/2021
- Number of pages
- 13
- Language
- English
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abg1530
- PMID
- 34797713
- Grant note
- Funding: This work was funded by an ERC AdG grant (SocioSmell 670798) awarded to N.S. We thank M. Buades-Rotger, U. Kramer, K. Bertsch, J. Mumford, Y. Yeshurun, and A. Arzi for valuable guidance. T.U. and M.O. thank T. Hariyama, N. Kanayama, H. Suzuki, and C. Senoh at Hamamatsu Medical University, Japan, for help in collecting baby odor samples. T.U. and M.O. also thank GL Science Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) for the technical support on odor collection and application and LECO JAPAN CORPORATION (Tokyo, Japan) for the technical support on chemical analyses by GC × GC-MS. Author contributions: N.S., H.B., J.S., and E.M. conceptualized the idea. E.M. planned and created the experiments, acquired, analyzed, interpreted, and visualized the data. D.A. acquired men data for the TAP. E.M., T.W., and K.S. analyzed imaging data. D.H., A.W., and E.M. created the pressure sensor apparatus. E.L. and L.G. handled the olfactometer. S.K. and E.M. performed GCMS analyses. E.M., D.K., and R.Z. performed the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A.R. wrote code for the TAP. R.W., T.S., Y.E.-S., S.A., L.R., N.R., A.R., L.G., E.L., and E.F.-H. helped run participants. T.U. and M.O. contributed baby-head GC-MS results and analysis. E.M. and N.S. wrote the manuscript.
- Record Identifier
- 993330748503596
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