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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction

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 Pathway

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 Structure

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 Senses

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Published on: April 23, 2019

Analysis and synthesis in olfaction.

Dan Rokni¹, Venkatesh N Murthy

¹Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience

|September 20, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Animals must detect specific scents in complex environments. Mouse odor detection in mixtures depends on chemical structure and neural representations of target and background odorants.

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Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

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Last Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

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Published on: April 23, 2019

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling

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Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

Published on: February 13, 2021

Area of Science:

Olfactory neuroscience
Animal behavior

Background:

Natural environments present complex olfactory landscapes with numerous volatile compounds.
Animal survival often hinges on the ability to identify specific odors amidst background scents.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the factors influencing odor segregation in complex mixtures.
To understand how chemical structure and neural representations affect odor detection in mice.

Main Methods:

Utilized behavioral assays to assess odor detection in mice exposed to complex scent mixtures.
Analyzed the chemical properties of odorants and their corresponding neural representations.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that the ability of mice to detect target odors within mixtures is significantly influenced by the chemical characteristics of both the target and background odorants.
Highlighted the critical role of neural representations in processing and segregating complex olfactory information.

Conclusions:

Odor segregation in natural environments is a complex process influenced by odorant chemistry and neural coding.
Findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying olfactory perception in challenging conditions.