Prepubertal rodents prevent adult males from copulating with them by secreting a pheromone through their tears . The discovery is the first step towards understanding how a sensory system, in this case the olfactory, can regulate social behavior .
The pheromone in question is a peptide called ESP22 , according to researchers from Harvard University (USA) in the latest issue of the journal Nature . ESP22 acts on neurons of the limbic system that regulate certain instinctual behaviors, especially aggressiveness and sexual behavior. In this way, sexually immature young mice protect themselves and prevent adults from attempting to copulate with them. The researchers say that exploring how the olfactory system of these mammals manages and modulates the most appropriate behaviors will also help to understand how the human brain works.
