Vomeronasal organ

Abstract

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is the peripheral sensory organ of the accessory olfactory system. It is a paired organ located at the base of the nasal septum or in the roof of the mouth in most amphibians, reptiles, and mammals (Meredith, Chem Senses 26(4):433-445, 2001). The VNO constitutes an accessory olfactory organ that receives chemical stimuli, pheromones, which elicit behavioral, reproductive, or neuroendocrine responses among individuals of the same species (Witt and Hummel, Int Rev Cytol 248:209-259, 2006). Frederic Ruysch discovered the vomeronasal cavities in humans in 1,703. He described a canalibus nasalibus on each side of the anterior part of the nasal septum of a young cadaver. Kölliker made a detailed study of the position of the vomeronasal cavities in the nasal septum of dead fetuses, children, and adults. The opening of the cavity is visible as a pit at the surface of the septum (Trotier et al., Chem Senses 25(4):369-380, 2000). Ludvig Lewin Jacobson described in great detail the vomeronasal organ in a number of mammalian species. However, he also noted the lack of development of the vomeronasal structure in humans (Trotier and Doving, Chem Senses 23:743-754, 1998).