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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period

Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period

Published on: March 1, 2024

Olfactory bulb volume in smokers.

Valentin A Schriever¹, Nicole Reither, Johannes Gerber

¹Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

Experimental Brain Research

|December 6, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Smoking is linked to smaller olfactory bulb volumes, even before olfactory function declines. This research highlights potential early structural changes in the olfactory system due to smoking.

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Automated Measurement of Pulmonary Emphysema and Small Airway Remodeling in Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mice

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Published on: January 16, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Otolaryngology

Background:

Environmental factors like smoking can impact sensory systems.
The olfactory system, responsible for smell, may be vulnerable to such influences.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the structural impact of smoking on the olfactory bulb (OB).
To determine if smoking affects OB volume independently of olfactory function.

Main Methods:

Olfactory testing using the Sniffin' Sticks device for odor threshold and identification.
Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging to measure olfactory bulb volume in smokers and non-smokers.

Main Results:

No significant difference in olfactory function between smokers and non-smokers.
Smokers exhibited significantly smaller olfactory bulb volumes compared to non-smokers (p=0.006).
The observed OB volume deficit did not correlate with smoking duration.

Conclusions:

Smoking appears to negatively affect olfactory bulb structure.
These structural changes may precede detectable deficits in olfactory function.
The olfactory system is susceptible to environmental influences like smoking.