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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
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...

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Understanding the Odour Spaces: A Step towards Solving Olfactory Stimulus-Percept Problem.

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Continuous Spatial Representations in the Olfactory Bulb may Reflect Perceptual Categories.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
10:42

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

Understanding smell--the olfactory stimulus problem.

Benjamin Auffarth1

  • 1Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece; Neuroinformatik, Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN), Berlin, Germany; KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Computer Science and Communication, Stockholm, Sweden.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|June 29, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Understanding smell requires linking sensory input to perception. This review highlights information processing, integrating stimulus, biology, physiology, and behavior to advance olfactory research and perception.

Keywords:
Basic odorsHedonicsInsect olfactionOdor perceptionOlfactory receptorsOlfactory stimulus-problemOlfactory systemSpatial codingStructure–activity relationshipStructure–odor relationshipTopographyVertebrate olfaction

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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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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
10:42

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function

Published on: July 30, 2017

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
04:47

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

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
  • Sensory Processing
  • Olfactory Research

Background:

  • Sensory processing challenges lie in linking sensory input to physiological responses and perception, particularly in complex scenarios.
  • Olfaction (smell) presents unique difficulties in characterizing stimulus statistics and perception, posing the 'stimulus problem' and questions on structure-odor relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in understanding olfactory function.
  • To propose an information processing approach emphasizing neural computations for smell perception.
  • To advocate for integrated analysis of stimulus, biology, physiology, behavior, and perception in olfactory research.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review summarizing recent developments in olfaction.
  • Conceptual framework emphasizing information processing and neural computations.
  • Proposal for combined analysis across multiple scientific domains (stimulus, biology, physiology, behavior, perception).

Main Results:

  • Current understanding of olfaction is fragmented, with differing views on odor classification and neural information extraction.
  • Existing measures for smell do not fully capture its complexity.
  • An information processing perspective offers a promising avenue for understanding smell as a perceptual phenomenon.

Conclusions:

  • Integrating diverse analytical approaches is crucial for advancing olfactory science.
  • Future research should focus on systematic characterization of olfactory receptive fields and perception.
  • This review serves as a guide to olfactory physiology, psychophysics, computation, and psychology.