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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...
IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview01:24

IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview

When Infrared (IR) radiation passes through a covalently bonded molecule, the bonds transition from lower to higher vibrational levels. The fundamental vibrational motions that result in infrared absorption can be classified as stretching or bending vibrations.
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay
09:11

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

Published on: October 2, 2017

Molecular vibration-sensing component in human olfaction.

Simon Gane1, Dimitris Georganakis, Klio Maniati

  • 1Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|February 2, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Humans can distinguish deuterated and undeuterated musk odorants, suggesting a vibrational component in human olfaction. This vibrational mechanism in smell is crucial for odor recognition.

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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

Published on: April 23, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay
09:11

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

Published on: October 2, 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

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory research
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • The mechanism of odorant recognition in olfaction, whether based on molecular shape or vibrations, remains debated.
  • Deuterated and undeuterated odorant isotopomers offer a method to probe vibrational contributions due to identical shapes but different vibrational modes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether humans can distinguish between deuterated and undeuterated odorants.
  • To extend previous findings on olfactory discrimination of isotopomers in humans.

Main Methods:

  • Testing naive and trained human subjects on their ability to differentiate between isotopomer pairs of odorants.
  • Utilizing gas-chromatography (GC)-pure odorants to ensure accurate stimulus presentation.
  • Comparing discrimination abilities for acetophenone and musk odorants.

Main Results:

  • Human subjects, both naive and trained, could not distinguish between deuterated and undeuterated acetophenone, even with GC-pure samples.
  • Conversely, subjects demonstrated a clear ability to distinguish between deuterated and undeuterated musk odorants when purified to GC-pure standards.
  • These findings contrast with previous reports and extend them to trained subjects and highly purified compounds.

Conclusions:

  • Human olfaction appears to incorporate a vibrational component, particularly evident in the discrimination of certain odorants like musk.
  • The ability to distinguish isotopomers varies depending on the specific odorant molecule.
  • These results contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the fundamental principles of olfactory perception.