VIR and V2R segregated vomeronasal pathways to the hypothalamus

The vomeronasal system is segregated from the epithelium to the bulb.Two classes of receptor neurons are apically and basally placed in the vomeronasal epithelium, express G(i2 alpha), and G(alpha x) proteins and VIR and V2R receptors and project to the anterior and posterior portions of the accessory olfactory bulb, respectively. Apart from common vomeronasal recipient structures in the amygdala, only the anterior accessory olfactory bulb projects to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and only the posterior accessory olfactory bulb projects to the dorsal anterior amygdala.The efferent projections from these two amygdaloid structures to the hypothalamus were investigated. These two vomeronasal subsystems mediated by VIR and V2R receptors were partially segregated, not only in amygdala, but also in the hypothalamus. NeuroReport 19:1623-1626 (C) 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health I Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.