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

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...
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...
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...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

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.
Sensory Memory01:14

Sensory Memory

Sensory memory captures information from the environment in its original form for a very brief duration, just long enough to be exposed to visual, auditory, and other senses. This type of memory is detailed and rich but quickly lost unless certain strategies are employed to transfer it into short-term or long-term memory. Sensory information is continuously bombarding the human brain, yet only a small fraction is absorbed, as most of it does not significantly impact daily life. For instance,...
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Targeting intracranial electrical stimulation to network regions defined within individuals causes network-level effects.

Journal of neurophysiology·2026
Same author

Deep-Learning-Based Baseline Evaluation of Public WiFi CSI Datasets for Contactless RF-Based Human Activity Recognition.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Mucin armoured diethylaminoethyl-dextran cloaked rebamipide based oral nanoformulation for the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease.

Materials today. Bio·2026
Same author

Corrigendum to "Sinapic acid-pullulan based inflammation responsive nanomicelles for the local treatment of experimental inflammatory arthritis" [Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 278 (2024) 134903].

International journal of biological macromolecules·2026
Same author

Impact of tighter glycaemic targets on pregnancy outcomes in a multi-ethnic cohort with gestational diabetes: A retrospective, single centre observational study.

Obstetric medicine·2026
Same author

Cycle-by-cycle respiration waveforms are coupled with the shape of neural oscillations.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same journal

Characterization of genomic diversity in bacteriophages infecting Rhodococcus.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Effectiveness of the Responding to Experienced and Anticipated Discrimination (READ) training on reducing stigma for medical students in Tunisia.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Cell-cell junction gene signatures as subtype-specific prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

GC-MS based tentative identification of γ-sitosterol from Brassica nigra seeds and evaluation of its anticancer potential: An integrated in vitro and in silico study.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Ad-based social media interventions increase belief accuracy and generate pro-social opinions among non-news readers.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Negotiating knowledge: The role of network hedging in the production of high-impact science.

PloS one·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

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

A specialized odor memory buffer in primary olfactory cortex.

Christina Zelano1, Jessica Montag, Rehan Khan

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. czelano@gmail.com

Plos One
|March 24, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Olfactory working memory involves distinct brain regions. Remembering nameable odors activates language areas, while unnameable odors activate the olfactory cortex, suggesting a dedicated memory mechanism.

More Related Videos

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
04:47

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies
08:36

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies

Published on: April 11, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

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

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
04:47

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies
08:36

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies

Published on: April 11, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • The neural basis of olfactory working memory remains largely unexplored.
  • Investigating whether olfactory working memory relies on verbal or sensory representations, or both.
  • Identifying the specific brain regions involved in olfactory working memory processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the neural substrates underlying olfactory working memory.
  • To differentiate the brain activity associated with remembering nameable versus unnameable odorants.
  • To determine the role of language areas and olfactory cortex in odor memory.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to monitor brain activity.
  • Participants were tasked with remembering either nameable or unnameable odorants.
  • Analysis focused on sustained brain activity patterns during memory recall.

Main Results:

  • A double dissociation in brain activation was observed.
  • Remembering nameable odorants correlated with sustained activity in prefrontal language areas.
  • Remembering unnameable odorants correlated with sustained activity in the primary olfactory cortex.

Conclusions:

  • Findings suggest a dedicated neural mechanism for olfactory working memory.
  • Odor information is maintained in temporary storage within the primary olfactory cortex.
  • This mechanism supports ongoing cognitive tasks involving olfactory stimuli.