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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...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision.  The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory organs,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Electrophysiological Recording from Drosophila Trichoid Sensilla in Response to Odorants of Low Volatility
07:49

Electrophysiological Recording from Drosophila Trichoid Sensilla in Response to Odorants of Low Volatility

Published on: July 27, 2017

Carbon chain length and the stimulus problem in olfaction.

Sanne Boesveldt1, Mats J Olsson, Johan N Lundström

  • 1Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States. sboesveldt@monell.org

Behavioural Brain Research
|July 20, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Humans can distinguish between a mixture of two similar odorants and a single odorant with an intermediate carbon chain length. This finding highlights that carbon chain length is not a simple continuum for odor quality perception.

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Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
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Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

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Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts
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Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts

Published on: October 6, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Electrophysiological Recording from Drosophila Trichoid Sensilla in Response to Odorants of Low Volatility
07:49

Electrophysiological Recording from Drosophila Trichoid Sensilla in Response to Odorants of Low Volatility

Published on: July 27, 2017

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
09:53

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Published on: April 23, 2019

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts
07:02

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts

Published on: October 6, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Olfactory neuroscience
  • Chemosensation research
  • Sensory perception

Background:

  • Understanding odor quality perception and its relation to molecular properties is a significant challenge in olfaction.
  • Investigating structure-odor relationships of similar molecules is crucial for decoding olfactory perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if a mixture of two odorants differing in carbon chain length is perceived the same as a single odorant with an intermediate chain length.
  • To explore the odor structure-quality relationship for structurally similar alcohols.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed discrimination between iso-intense solutions of n-butanol (4C), n-propanol (3C), n-pentanol (5C), and a 50/50 mixture of n-propanol and n-pentanol (3C/5C).
  • Tested 20 healthy young adults on their ability to differentiate between these odorant pairs.

Main Results:

  • Participants could discriminate n-butanol (4C) from the 3C/5C mixture.
  • Previous findings on discriminating structurally similar alcohols were replicated.
  • An odor mixture of two molecules differing in carbon chain length was clearly distinguishable from a single intermediate odorant.

Conclusions:

  • Carbon chain length influences odor quality but does not form a simple continuum for perception.
  • Olfactory perception of mixtures is complex and not analogous to the wavelength-hue relationship in color vision.