Neurobiology of Chemical Communication

Carla Mucignat-Caretta, PhD, is associate professor of physiology at the Department of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, University of Padova in Italy. She earned a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Parma, Italy, working on the role of major urinary proteins as pheromones in mice. She next moved to the University of Padova as a researcher and eventually associate professor. Her research focus is on the intraspecific chemical communication in mice, from chemical identification of the stimuli to the behavioral and neurohormonal effects induced in the recipient mice, and to the modifications in the brain circuits implied in deciphering chemical signals throughout the lifespan.

Introduction to Chemical Signaling in Vertebrates and Invertebrates. Pheromones and General Odor Perception in Insects. First Investigation of the Semiochemistry of South African Dung Beetle Species. Pheromone Reception in Insects: The Example of Silk Moths. Chemical Communication in the Honey Bee Society. Drosophila Pheromones: From Reception to Perception. How Drosophila Detect Volatile Pheromones: Signaling, Circuits, and Behavior. Chemical Signaling in Amphibians. Vomeronasal Organ: A Short History of Discovery and an Account of Development and Morphology in the Mouse. Vomeronasal Receptors and Signal Transduction in the Vomeronasal Organ of Mammals. Central Processing of Intraspecific Chemical Signals in Mice. Molecular and Neural Mechanisms of Pheromone Reception in the Rat Vomeronasal System and Changes in the Pheromonal Reception by the Maturation and Sexual Experiences. Social Cues, Adult Neurogenesis, and Reproductive Behavior. Influence of Cat Odor on Reproductive Behavior and Physiology in the House Mouse (Mus Musculus). Pheromone of Tiger and Other Big Cats. Cattle Pheromones. Pheromones for Newborns. Pheromone Processing in Relation to Sex and Sexual Orientation. Human Pheromones: Do They Exist? Index.