Surface morphology in the olfactory epithelium of normal male and female rhesus monkeys

Abstract

Olfactory epithelium of male and female rhesus monkeys has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the epithelial surface differs greatly between male and female monkeys. Differences are most prominent between male and preovulatory females. During the ovulatory phase of the ovarian cycle remarkable histological alterations occur especially in the sustentacular cells. These alterations are correlated with physiological and behavioral phenomena demonstrating a possible structural basis for the changes in olfactory threshold in relation to sex hormones.