The vomeronasal system in mice: From the nose to the hypothalamus- and back!

The vomeronasal pathway in rodents runs parallel to the main olfactory pathway and mediates responses to different classes of chemosensory stimuli. Both olfactory systems can converge and synergize to control reproductive behaviors and hormonal changes triggered by chemosensory cues. Novel experimental approaches expressing genetic transneuronal tracers in hypothalamic neurons regulating reproduction have set the stage to analyze how chemosensory inputs are integrated in the brain to elicit reproductive behaviors and hormonal changes, and how neuroendocrine status might modulate susceptibility to chemosensory cues.