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Olfaction

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...

Somatosensation

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.

Sensory Functions of the Skin

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...

Introduction to Special Senses

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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...

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Flat Mount Imaging of Mouse Skin and Its Application to the Analysis of Hair Follicle Patterning and Sensory Axon Morphology

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Published on: June 25, 2014

Functional localization and lateralization of human olfactory cortex.

R J Zatorre¹, M Jones-Gotman, A C Evans

¹McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Quebec, Canada.

|November 26, 1992

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study used brain imaging to map human smell processing. Findings reveal the piriform cortex and right orbitofrontal cortex are key areas, suggesting a specialized role for the right brain hemisphere in olfaction.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Olfactory system research
Brain imaging studies

Background:

While animal studies identify multiple cortical regions for olfaction, human olfactory areas lack definitive functional identification.
Behavioral data suggest lateralized odor processing, but the underlying neuroanatomy is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To functionally identify human cortical regions involved in olfactory processing.
To investigate potential lateralization in the human olfactory system.

Main Methods:

Positron emission tomography (PET) was employed to measure cerebral blood flow.
Olfactory stimulation was compared against a control task to identify activated brain regions.

Main Results:

Significant increases in cerebral blood flow were observed bilaterally at the junction of the inferior frontal and temporal lobes (piriform cortex).
A unilateral increase in cerebral blood flow was found in the right orbitofrontal cortex.
These findings indicate functional asymmetry, with a right-hemisphere dominance in the orbitofrontal cortex for olfaction.

Conclusions:

The piriform cortex and right orbitofrontal cortex are key functional regions for human olfaction.
Evidence supports a functional asymmetry in the human brain, favoring the right orbitofrontal cortex in olfactory processing.