Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025

10:42
A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
10.0K
Olfactory Reference Syndrome: A Case Report and Screening Tool.
Yelena Chernyak1, Kristine M Chapleau2, Shariff F Tanious2
1Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, 355 W. 16th St., Suite 2800, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. ychernya@iupui.edu.
Summary
Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a rare disorder characterized by the belief of emitting a foul odor. Correct diagnosis and psychiatric treatment significantly improved a patient's daily functioning.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Mental Health
- Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Background:
- Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a lesser-known disorder linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- ORS involves the persistent, inaccurate belief of emitting a foul odor, causing significant distress and social impairment.
- Diagnosis is challenging due to patients seeking non-psychiatric treatment and potential misdiagnosis as psychotic disorders.
Related Concept Videos
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
11.0K
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...
11.0K
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
11.8K
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...
The olfactory...
11.8K
Olfaction
47.8K
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...
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
47.8K

