How are pheromones detected by others?
Humans have an organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) that until recently was thought to be vestigial (the function was lost through the process of evolution). However, the VNO, olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb perceive the presence of pheromones and send this information via mitral cells to the medial nucleus of the amygdala, olfactory cortex (also known as the substantia innominata) and pyriform cortex. These are organs in the most primitive (sometimes called reptilian) part of the brain, located in the brainstem. These organs then communicate with the parts of the brain that regulate sexual arousal.
