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

46.9K
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...
46.9K
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

10.8K
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...
10.8K
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

10.4K
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...
10.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Respiration-coordinated attentional switch from feedforward to top-down informational flow directed by the basal forebrain: layer-specific blanket inhibition of pyramidal cells by neurogliaform cells in the piriform cortex.

Frontiers in neural circuits·2026
Same author

How do we think and what is the neural circuit mechanism for it? Possible roles of working memory and inner speech in thinking.

Frontiers in human neuroscience·2026
Same author

Spectral envelopes of facial movements predict intention, cortical representations, and neural prosthetic control.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Two separate neural pathways, lateral and medial, for sensory decisions in mammals: switching of attention between the outer and inner cognitive worlds.

Frontiers in neuroscience·2025
Same author

Separation of pups from their mother mice enhances odor associative learning at the late lactation stage.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Associative learning and recollection of olfactory memory during the respiratory cycle in mammals: how is the self cognized in consciousness?

Frontiers in neuroscience·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 14, 2025

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

8.9K

Innate versus learned odour processing in the mouse olfactory bulb.

Ko Kobayakawa1, Reiko Kobayakawa, Hideyuki Matsumoto

  • 1Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.

Nature
|November 9, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mice lacking specific olfactory sensory neurons showed no innate aversion to certain odors but could learn them. This suggests separate olfactory bulb glomeruli process innate versus learned odor responses.

More Related Videos

Simple and Computer-assisted Olfactory Testing for Mice
06:40

Simple and Computer-assisted Olfactory Testing for Mice

Published on: June 15, 2015

10.5K
A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation
10:42

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation

Published on: August 18, 2014

9.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 14, 2025

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

8.9K
Simple and Computer-assisted Olfactory Testing for Mice
06:40

Simple and Computer-assisted Olfactory Testing for Mice

Published on: June 15, 2015

10.5K
A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation
10:42

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation

Published on: August 18, 2014

9.2K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory System Research
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • The mammalian olfactory system is crucial for detecting environmental cues like spoiled food and predator scents.
  • Odorant information is converted into a topographical map in the olfactory bulb, with each glomerulus representing a specific odorant receptor type.
  • Understanding how this olfactory map is interpreted by the brain is key to deciphering sensory processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural basis of innate versus learned odor responses in mice.
  • To determine if specific glomerular populations in the olfactory bulb are dedicated to innate aversive behaviors.
  • To elucidate the role of olfactory sensory neuron ablation in altering odor perception and behavioral responses.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of mutant mice with targeted ablation of olfactory sensory neurons in a specific olfactory epithelium zone using diphtheria toxin.
  • Analysis of olfactory bulb structure, specifically glomerular formation, in dorsal-zone-depleted mice.
  • Behavioral testing of mutant mice for innate responses to aversive odorants and their capacity for conditioned aversion.

Main Results:

  • Dorsal-zone-depleted mice exhibited a complete absence of glomerular structures in the corresponding dorsal olfactory bulb domain.
  • Despite the structural changes, second-order neurons remained present in the affected olfactory bulb areas.
  • Mutant mice failed to display innate aversive behaviors to specific odorants but could be conditioned to associate these odors with aversion using remaining olfactory pathways.

Conclusions:

  • The olfactory bulb utilizes distinct sets of glomeruli for processing innate aversive odor information versus learned aversive responses.
  • Specific glomerular populations are essential for mediating innate behavioral responses to certain odors.
  • Odor information processing involves parallel pathways within the olfactory bulb, segregating innate and learned behavioral outputs.