Structural and functional links between olfactory and reproductive systems: puberty-related changes in olfactory epithelium.

The structural and functional link between olfactory reproductive systems in male and female platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) is demonstrated by the connection of receptors in the nasal epithelium to a center in the brain that has a primary role in the development and functioning of the reproductive system. Profound morphological changes occur in the nasal epithelium, and LH-RH content increases in tracts of the olfactory lobe, at specific stages of sexual maturation and not according to chronological age. Our study provides new insight into the development of the mechanisms by which chemical environmental cues are received.