A University of Otago research study exposed that sensory cues from the opposite sex, such as smells, can impact aging and health in animals, revealing reduced fertility and increased mortality in male mice exposed to female smells. This underscores the considerable impact of sensory experiences on long-lasting health and aging processes.A study led by the University of Otago has actually discovered that sensory signals from the opposite sex can influence how animals age. Lead author Associate Professor Mike Garratt, of the Department of Anatomy, says research study has previously shown interactions with the opposite sex can speed up aging. This study has actually built on that by showing sensory hints alone can drive those impacts.” This supplies an example of how info found by our sensory systems– what we see, hear, and odor– can have long-lasting results on our bodies and even influence health and aging,” he says.For the study, released in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers from Otago and the University of New South Wales checked if exposure to female odors influenced mortality and reproductive aging in male mice. Male mice were housed in 4 environments: alone; with two females; alone however with exposure to scents from 2 absent women; or housed with two women together with the fragrance of 2 absent females. When males were old, they were all coupled with females to evaluate fertility.The researchers found males exposed to female olfactory hints, or chemical odor signals, from middle to old age had actually decreased fertility later in life. Males exposed to female odors in conjunction with breeding also showed an increased death rate.Implications and Future ConsiderationsIt is not known why these impacts happened, however Associate Professor Garratt states the results highlight how sensory perception of mates may be a crucial driver of life-history compromises in mammals.Pheromone direct exposure is extremely essential for mice in the context of reproduction, he says, however other cues could possibly affect humans, such as those that cause chronic stress, which might have widespread impacts on our health.” It is understood that sensory cues affect the release of hormones that can have short-term physiological effects on people and animals. These effects can conceivably add up and extend to influence our health. We ought to think about the environment that we live in, how we perceive it, what sensations it generates, and bear in mind of this as this could have long-lasting consequences for our bodies,” he says.Reference: “Exposure to female olfactory hints accelerates reproductive ageing and increases mortality when mating in male mice” by Michael Garratt, Heather Try, Christine Neyt and Robert C. Brooks, 28 February 2024, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.DOI: 10.1098/ rspb.2023.1848.
