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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...

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...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation Systems for Olfactory Training and Field Testing

Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation Systems for Olfactory Training and Field Testing

Published on: January 28, 2021

Pattern separation and completion in olfaction.

Donald A Wilson¹

¹Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA. dwilson@nki.rfmh.org

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

|August 19, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The nervous system uses pattern separation and completion to distinguish and generalize experiences. This study shows these processes are crucial for how we perceive odors.

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation Systems for Olfactory Training and Field Testing

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Olfactory System Research
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

The nervous system requires mechanisms for precise activity discrimination and generalization.
Cortical circuits are implicated in pattern separation and completion, respectively.
Understanding these processes is key to explaining sensory perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide evidence for pattern separation and completion in the olfactory system.
To demonstrate the predictive power of these neural processes for odor perception.
To integrate theoretical models with experimental findings in olfactory neuroscience.

Main Methods:

Utilized theoretical and computational models of the piriform cortex.
Adapted experimental designs from hippocampal spatial memory research.
Investigated neural circuit functions related to olfactory processing.

Main Results:

Presented evidence supporting pattern separation in the olfactory system.
Demonstrated pattern completion mechanisms within olfactory cortical circuits.
Linked these neural processes to behavioral outcomes in odor perception.

Conclusions:

Pattern separation and completion are fundamental to olfactory system function.
These processes significantly predict an organism's ability to perceive odors.
The findings offer a framework for understanding sensory generalization and discrimination.