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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...

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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 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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Recording Temperature-induced Neuronal Activity through Monitoring Calcium Changes in the Olfactory Bulb of Xenopus laevis

Recording Temperature-induced Neuronal Activity through Monitoring Calcium Changes in the Olfactory Bulb of Xenopus laevis

Published on: June 3, 2016

Computing with dendrodendritic synapses in the olfactory bulb.

Nathaniel N Urban¹, Armen C Arevian

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. nurban@cmu.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

|August 19, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Olfactory bulb circuits, specifically reciprocal synapses between mitral and granule cells, perform complex computations beyond simple inhibition. Recent research highlights their unique physiological properties and potential roles in specialized olfactory processing.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Olfactory System Biology
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses connect olfactory bulb mitral and granule cells.
Existing hypotheses suggest these synapses mediate lateral inhibition for receptive field sharpening and oscillatory spiking.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent research on olfactory bulb circuit physiology and function.
To link the physiological properties of reciprocal synapses to specific computations performed by the olfactory bulb.

Main Methods:

Review of in vivo and in vitro studies on olfactory bulb circuits.
Analysis of the physiological properties of reciprocal synapses.
Integration of physiological data with proposed computational functions.

Main Results:

Current functional hypotheses for olfactory bulb circuits are likely oversimplified.
Unusual features of reciprocal synapses suggest roles beyond basic inhibition.
Physiological properties may enable specialized olfactory computations.

Conclusions:

Olfactory bulb reciprocal synapses likely support complex computational functions.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of these synapses in olfactory processing.