More on Scent and Emotional Bonding

New research at Edinburgh University may offer valuable clues about the role of scent in the way humans create emotional connections with one another, and also shed light on the causes of autism and anxiety disorders.

Edinburgh scientists, working with peers from Germany and Japan, discovered that a key hormone called vasopressin was so crucial to scent recognition in animals that, when the hormone was blocked, rats which had previously interacted were no longer able to recognize one another.

“This study gives us a window into understanding the biological basis of social interactions,” said Professor Mike Ludwig, who led the study. “Normally, vasopressin supports the forming of ’social memories.’ But if it is lost, disturbed, or interrupted, then the animals are unable to recognize other individuals by their odor. Some studies, including ours, suggest that when the vasopressin system in the brain is not working properly, it may prevent people from forming deep emotional bonds with other individuals or might underlie conditions such as autism and social phobia.”

Professor Janet Allen, director of research at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which funded the study, concurs that the implications of the research for humans could be significant. “Research that helps us to gain a fundamental understanding of how our brains work is vital if we are to know what is happening when something has gone wrong.”