Pheromones spark neuron growth

Pheromones might be able to help repair brain damage, according to a recent study done on mice. Female mice tend to prefer dominant male mice, the presence of which causes actual neuron growth in the brain. The neuron growth occurs in the areas thought to be targeted by pheromones, specifically the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, the areas that involve scent and memory. When scientists disrupted the brain grown normally triggered in the females, the females lost interest in the dominant males. The females were also disinterested in non-dominant males. Scientists at University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute suggest that this discovery may lead to a way of using pheromones to help people with brain injuries. Read more at MSNBC and Medical News Today, or see the abstract in Nature Neuroscience