Sniffing the Human Body-Volatile Hexadecanal Blocks Aggression in Men but Triggers Aggression in Women

摘要: Body-volatiles can effectively trigger or block conspecific aggression in terrestrial mammals. Here we tested whether hexadecanal (HEX), a human body-volatile implicated as mammalian-wide social cue, impacts aggression. Using validated behavioural paradigms, observed remarkable dissociation: sniffing HEX blocked men, but triggered women. Next, using functional brain imaging, uncovered pattern of activity mirroring behaviour: In both men and women, increased the left angular gyrus, an area perception cues. Hex then modulated connectivity between gyrus network appraisal (temporal pole) aggressive execution (amygdala orbitofrontal cortex) sex-dependent manner consistent with increasing decreasing These findings implicate sex-specific chemosignaling at mechanistic heart behaviour.