Hair From Sexually Active Bucks Activates Olfactory Inputs But Does Not Trigger Early First Ovulation in Prepubescent Does
January 2023
TLDR Male goat smell increases reaction in young female goats' noses but doesn't cause them to start puberty early.
The study investigated the impact of exposure to sexually active male goat hair on the onset of puberty in female goats. Using a calcium imaging approach on goat sensory cells from the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO), the researchers found that both prepubescent and pubescent females showed strong responses to active male hair. The responses were particularly robust in prepubescent females isolated from males, suggesting that these responses may originate from immature neurons. The study also found that sexual experience can induce changes in olfactory cell function and organization. However, despite the strong olfactory responses, exposure to male odor did not advance the onset of puberty in prepubescent females. Puberty was reached one month after females exposed to intact males, indicating that olfactory stimulation alone is not sufficient to trigger puberty.
