ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 11 August 2015 doi: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00283 Lack of spatial segregation in the representation of pheromones and kairomones in the mouse medial amygdala Vinicius M. A. Carvalho 1, 2‡, Thiago S. Nakahara 1, 2‡, Leonardo M. Cardozo 1, 2 †, Edited by: Mateus A. A. Souza 1, 2, Antonio P. Camargo 1, 3, Guilherme Z. Trintinalia 1, 2, Eliana Ferraz 4 Markus Fendt, and Fabio Papes 1* Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany 1 Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, 2 Graduate Program in Reviewed by: Genetics and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, 3 Undergraduate Program in Qi Yuan, the Biological Sciences, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, 4 Campinas Municipal Zoo, Campinas, Memorial University, Canada Brazil Mario Engelmann, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Germany The nervous system is organized to detect, internally represent and process sensory *Correspondence: information to generate appropriate behaviors. Despite the crucial importance of odors Fabio Papes, that elicit instinctive behaviors, such as pheromones and kairomones, their neural Department of Genetics and representation remains little characterized in the mammalian brain. Here we used Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, expression of the immediate early gene product c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas, to find that a wide range of pheromones and kairomones produces activation in the 13083-862 Sao Paulo, Brazil
[email protected] medial nucleus of the amygdala, a brain area anatomically connected with the olfactory †Present Address: sensory organs.