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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

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...
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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...
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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...

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Perceptual stability during dramatic changes in olfactory bulb activation maps and dramatic declines in activation amplitudes.

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Intranasal inoculation with the olfactory bulb line variant of mouse hepatitis virus causes extensive destruction of the olfactory bulb and accelerated turnover of neurons in the olfactory epithelium of mice.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals
08:30

Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals

Published on: October 31, 2011

Mucosal activity patterns as a basis for olfactory discrimination: comparing behavior and optical recordings.

P F Kent1, M M Mozell, S L Youngentob

  • 1Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.

Brain Research
|July 30, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Neural activity patterns on the olfactory mucosa correlate with odor perception. This study shows distinct neural responses to different aldehydes, supporting the pattern-coding hypothesis for smell quality.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals
08:30

Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals

Published on: October 31, 2011

Multi-unit Recording Methods to Characterize Neural Activity in the Locust (Schistocerca Americana) Olfactory Circuits
12:13

Multi-unit Recording Methods to Characterize Neural Activity in the Locust (Schistocerca Americana) Olfactory Circuits

Published on: January 25, 2013

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice
09:33

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory system research
  • Sensory perception

Background:

  • Olfactory studies show odorants create unique neural activity patterns.
  • The hypothesis that these patterns form the neural code for smell perception remains untested.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To directly test if spatial patterns of neural activity on the olfactory mucosa correlate with perceived odor quality.
  • To investigate the neural basis of odor discrimination.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were trained to identify five iso-intensive straight-chain aldehydes (hexaldehyde to decaldehyde).
  • Perceptual similarity was assessed using multidimensional scaling (MDS).
  • Optical techniques recorded olfactory mucosal activity patterns in response to the aldehydes.

Main Results:

  • Rats achieved >90% accuracy in identifying the aldehydes.
  • MDS analysis of perceptual similarity created a two-dimensional odorant space.
  • Distinct, band-like mucosal activity patterns were observed for each aldehyde, varying with carbon chain length.
  • MDS analysis of neural activity also yielded a two-dimensional space.
  • The perceptual and neurophysiological odorant spaces were highly correlated.

Conclusions:

  • Odorant-induced activity patterns on the olfactory mucosa are distinct and related to perceived odor quality.
  • These findings support the concept that mucosal activity patterns serve as the neural substrate for odorant quality perception.