Identification and Isolation of Human Alarm Pheromones
Abstract
This Progress Report for Phase O of this project reported on four different tasks. Task I, Optimization of Sample Collection, focused on the collection of the putative alarm pheromone via axillary sweat samples obtained during reference (physical exercise) and arousal (skydive) conditions. The researchers chose cotton gauze sponges and developed their own method of sterilizing them and attaching them to the body so that neither contamination nor evaporation could occur. Task II, Development of the Extraction Protocol, focused on a method to extract the target substances from the sweat pads into progressively more hydrophobic solvents (water to primary extraction solvent to secondary extraction solvent) while concentrating them. Ethanol was selected as a primary extraction solvent and a secondary extraction procedure was developed that relies on solvent partitioning. Task III focused on the Preliminary Identification of Steroids of Interest in Human Fear Sweat Using the Skydiving Protocol. The authors collected sweat, urine, blood, saliva, ECG, respiration, and self-report measures in 20 subjects (n=11 males and n=9 females) before, during, and immediately following their first-time tandem skydive, as well as before, during, and immediately following their running on a treadmill for the same period of time. Measurements between the test (skydive) and control (exercise) conditions were made on consecutive days, each experiment precisely matched to the minute between subjects and between conditions to prevent diurnal confounds. Emotional states were monitored using brief standardized questionnaires. For most of the observed compounds, men showed an increase in the compound emission during acute emotional stress, while women showed either no change or a decrease in emission of the compound. Task IV, Olfactometry, sought to determine whether the putative alarm pheromones trigger arousal in other humans using neural (MRI) and autonomic measurements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 30, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA458261
Entities
People
- Helmut Strey
- Lilianne R. Mujica-parodi
Organizations
- State University of New York