Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

49.2K
The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
49.2K
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

8.4K
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
8.4K
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

13.4K
Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
13.4K
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

12.4K
The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
12.4K
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

823
The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
823
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

7.8K
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
7.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Evidence of orbital mixing upon ionization via Cooper minimum photoelectron dynamics in epichlorohydrin. Experiment and theory.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Data of the Insect Biome Atlas: a metabarcoding survey of the terrestrial arthropods of Sweden and Madagascar.

Scientific data·2025
Same author

Widespread slow growth of acquisitive tree species.

Nature·2025
Same author

Optimising nucleic acid recovery from rapid antigen tests for whole genome sequencing of respiratory viruses.

Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology·2024
Same author

Effects of adding early cooperation and a work-place dialogue meeting to primary care management for sick-listed patients with stress-related disorders: CO-WORK-CARE-Stress - a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial.

Scandinavian journal of primary health care·2024
Same author

Women's decision-making related to induced abortion - a cross sectional study during a period of Covid-19 pandemic, in Sweden.

The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care : the official journal of the European Society of Contraception·2022
Same journal

Spatiomolecular mapping reveals anatomical organization of heterogeneous cell types in the human nucleus accumbens.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

TGF-β1-induced endothelial transcytosis drives blood-brain barrier leakage during aging.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Image space opens up for visual neuroscience.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Septal GLP-1 receptors control alcohol taking and seeking.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Microglial fitness in moderation: Tuning TREM2 signaling through Ptpn6.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Human astrocytes keep time with inflammation.

Neuron·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
08:36

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling

Published on: April 11, 2025

963

Olfactory functions are mediated by parallel and hierarchical processing.

I Savic1, B Gulyas, M Larsson

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Sweden. ivanka.savic-berglund@neuro.ki.se

Neuron
|July 15, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study used PET scans to explore brain activity during various olfactory tasks. Findings reveal that human olfactory processing, including odor perception and recognition, is organized in parallel and hierarchical pathways.

More Related Videos

In-depth Physiological Analysis of Defined Cell Populations in Acute Tissue Slices of the Mouse Vomeronasal Organ
10:11

In-depth Physiological Analysis of Defined Cell Populations in Acute Tissue Slices of the Mouse Vomeronasal Organ

Published on: September 10, 2016

8.1K
Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees
13:55

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Published on: July 21, 2014

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
08:36

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling

Published on: April 11, 2025

963
In-depth Physiological Analysis of Defined Cell Populations in Acute Tissue Slices of the Mouse Vomeronasal Organ
10:11

In-depth Physiological Analysis of Defined Cell Populations in Acute Tissue Slices of the Mouse Vomeronasal Organ

Published on: September 10, 2016

8.1K
Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees
13:55

Simultaneous Long-term Recordings at Two Neuronal Processing Stages in Behaving Honeybees

Published on: July 21, 2014

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory system research
  • Brain imaging

Background:

  • The systematic exploration of human brain processing for odor perception, discrimination, and recognition remains limited.
  • Understanding the neural basis of olfaction is crucial for diagnosing and treating olfactory dysfunctions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate cerebral activations during distinct olfactory tasks using Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
  • To elucidate the neural organization underlying odor perception, discrimination, and recognition in the human brain.

Main Methods:

  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) was employed to measure brain activity.
  • Five olfactory tasks were performed: odorless air (AS), single odors (OS), odor intensity discrimination (OD-i), odor quality discrimination (OD-q), and odor recognition memory (OM).

Main Results:

  • Single odor presentation (OS) activated amygdala-piriform, orbitofrontal, insular, and cingulate cortices, and the right thalamus.
  • Odor discrimination tasks (OD-i, OD-q) engaged the left insula and right cerebellum, with OD-q additionally involving the right caudate and subiculum.
  • Odor recognition memory (OM) activated the piriform cortex, temporal, and parietal cortices, sharing other activations with OD-q but not the insula.

Conclusions:

  • Olfactory functions are processed through parallel and hierarchical neural pathways.
  • Distinct brain regions are recruited depending on the specific olfactory task, suggesting a complex and distributed network.