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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...
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes
06:32

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Published on: June 5, 2017

Parallel odor processing by two anatomically distinct olfactory bulb target structures.

Colleen A Payton1, Donald A Wilson, Daniel W Wesson

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.

Plos One
|April 13, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The olfactory tubercle (OT) and piriform cortex (PCX) show similar neural processing of odors, despite anatomical differences. This suggests a distributed olfactory code for transmitting sensory information.

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Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals
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Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals

Published on: October 31, 2011

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026

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Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals
08:30

Imaging Odor-Evoked Activities in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb using Optical Reflectance and Autofluorescence Signals

Published on: October 31, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory System Research
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • The olfactory cortex has distinct regions, but their differential processing of odors is not well understood.
  • Limited research exists on the functional significance of olfactory bulb input diversity to olfactory cortices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate functional differences in neural representation and processing dynamics between the olfactory tubercle (OT) and piriform cortex (PCX).
  • To determine if anatomical variations in olfactory bulb input lead to distinct odor processing in these two major olfactory cortical structures.

Main Methods:

  • In vivo extracellular recordings were performed on anesthetized mice.
  • Neural activity in the OT and PCX was recorded while presenting a small set of diverse odors.

Main Results:

  • Both OT and PCX exhibited similar odor-evoked response magnitudes, odor tuning breadth, and firing latencies.
  • Minor differences were observed in spontaneous activity rates and odor signal-to-noise ratios between the two structures.

Conclusions:

  • Despite differing anatomical innervation from olfactory bulb cells, the OT and PCX demonstrate largely similar basic features of odor representation and processing.
  • The olfactory code likely utilizes a distributed processing stream for transmitting behaviorally relevant olfactory information.