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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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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...

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Olfaction

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

Qualitative effects in nasal trigeminal chemoreception.

Dennis Shusterman¹

¹Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0843, USA. dshusterman@sfghoem.ucsf.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

|August 19, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The nasal trigeminal system detects diverse sensations like burning and cooling from inhaled substances. Neurobiological and psychophysical evidence supports its specific qualitative detection abilities.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sensory Science
Chemoreception

Background:

Olfaction and nasal trigeminal chemoreception define the sensory experience of inspired air.
Nasal pungency describes the trigeminal nerve's response to irritants, foods, and medicines.
The trigeminal system mediates varied sensations including cooling, burning, and stinging.

Purpose of the Study:

To review neurobiological and psychophysical evidence for the nasal trigeminal system's qualitative specificity.
To highlight the trigeminal system's role in differentiating sensory inputs independently of olfaction.

Main Methods:

Review of existing neurobiological studies.
Analysis of psychophysical testing data.
Examination of sensory differentiation capabilities.

Main Results:

The trigeminal system can differentiate specific qualities like cooling, numbness, tingling, itching, burning, and stinging.
These sensations are distinguishable even without olfactory input.
Evidence supports qualitative specificity within the nasal trigeminal system.

Conclusions:

The nasal trigeminal system possesses distinct pathways for various sensory qualities.
Psychophysical and neurobiological data confirm the trigeminal system's role in detailed sensory perception.
Understanding trigeminal specificity is crucial for fields ranging from toxicology to sensory science.