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Related Concept Videos

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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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.
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Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

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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.
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Introduction to Special Senses01:26

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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...
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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

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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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Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

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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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What is a Sensory System?01:31

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Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system. In addition to external stimuli detected by the senses, some sensory systems detect internal stimuli—such as the proprioceptors in muscles and tendons that send feedback about limb position.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
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Humans navigate with stereo olfaction.

Yuli Wu1,2, Kepu Chen1, Yuting Ye1,2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|June 24, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Humans can smell in stereo, using subtle differences in odor concentration between nostrils to subconsciously determine direction. This stereo olfaction guides spatial navigation, even without conscious awareness of scent disparities.

Keywords:
binaral disparityheading perceptionolfactory navigationoptic flow

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Perception
  • Human Navigation

Background:

  • Human spatial navigation primarily relies on visual and auditory cues.
  • The role of olfactory input, particularly internostril differences, in human directionality perception is not well-established.
  • Existing research often involves the trigeminal system, complicating the study of pure olfactory directionality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether internostril differences in odor concentration can influence the perceived direction of self-motion.
  • To determine if humans possess stereo olfaction capabilities for spatial navigation.
  • To explore the relationship between odor concentration ratios and perceived directionality.

Main Methods:

  • Formal psychophysical testing was employed to assess human responses to olfactory stimuli.
  • Participants were exposed to a nontrigeminal odorant with a moderate binaral concentration disparity.
  • Optic flow was used to simulate self-motion, and participants reported their perceived direction of movement.

Main Results:

  • A consistent bias in the perceived direction of self-motion toward the side with higher odor concentration was observed.
  • This directional bias was dependent on the internostril ratio of odor concentrations, not the absolute difference.
  • Participants could not consciously identify which nostril detected the stronger odor, indicating subconscious processing.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides behavioral evidence for stereo olfaction in humans.
  • Subconscious stereo olfactory cues are utilized in spatial navigation.
  • Internostril odor concentration disparities contribute to directional perception independently of the trigeminal system.