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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation
10:42

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Published on: August 18, 2014

Lateralized differences in olfactory bulb volume relate to lateralized differences in olfactory function.

T Hummel1, A Haehner, C Hummel

  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany. thummel@mail.zih.tu-dresden.de

Neuroscience
|February 5, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Larger olfactory bulb (OB) volumes on one side correlate with better odor detection on that same side. This suggests the olfactory system

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory System Research
  • Human Sensory Perception

Background:

  • The olfactory bulb (OB) is crucial for processing smell.
  • Lateralization in brain structures can influence sensory functions.
  • Understanding OB volume-function relationships is key to olfactory research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between olfactory bulb (OB) volume asymmetry and olfactory function lateralization.
  • To determine if side differences in OB volume predict differences in odor detection and discrimination.

Main Methods:

  • Volumetric measurements of olfactory bulbs (OBs) in 164 healthy volunteers.
  • Lateralized measurements of odor thresholds and odor discrimination.
  • Definition of side differences as a 10% volume difference between left and right OBs.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with larger right-sided OB volumes showed greater sensitivity (lower odor thresholds) to smells presented to the right nostril.
  • Conversely, larger left-sided OB volumes correlated with higher sensitivity in the left nostril.
  • A 10% volume difference between OBs was used to define lateralization.

Conclusions:

  • Olfactory bulb (OB) volume asymmetry is associated with lateralized olfactory function.
  • These findings support the concept of a lateralized organization within the human olfactory system.
  • OB volume may be influenced by lateralized sensory input and processing.