Research reportActivation of the olfactory system in response to male odors in female prepubertal mice

- We identified parts of the olfactory pathway responding to male odors in prepubertal female mice.
- Brain nuclei differentially respond to intact male odors as early as post-natal day 24.
- The accessory olfactory pathway seems to be involved in the processing of male odors.

Exposure to male odors during the prepubertal period accelerates puberty, a phenomenon known as the Vandenbergh effect. This experiment identifies the parts of the olfactory pathway that respond to male odors in prepubertal female mice. Female mice were kept in a room free of adult male odors from birth until odor exposure. At post-natal day 21, 24 or 28, (ages representing time points early, intermediate, and late in the prepubertal period) mice were exposed to clean bedding, soiled bedding from castrated males, or soiled bedding from intact males. Each group was exposed to odor in separate rooms to prevent cross contamination. Ninety minutes after odor exposure, mice were sacrificed, the brains removed and prepared for c-Fos immunohistochemistry. The numbers of neurons expressing c-Fos were counted in a defined area of the following nuclei: AOB mitral layer, AOB granular layer, MOB, MEPV, MEPD, Aco, BNST, MPOA, and VMH. There was a significant effect of age on c-Fos-expression in the MEPV, MEPD, Aco, MPOA, BNST and piriform cortex. There was a significant effect of odor on c-Fos-expression in the MEPV, MEPD, Aco, MPOA, and VMH, showing that these areas are differentially sensitive to intact male odors vs. clean bedding and that these brain areas may be responsible for communicating odor information that drives puberty acceleration.