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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.

Gustation

Gustation

Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System

Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System

Published on: October 22, 2020

Encoding the Odor of Cigarette Smoke.

Timothy S McClintock¹, Naazneen Khan², Yelena Alimova²

¹Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536 mcclint@uky.edu.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|August 18, 2020

Summary

Researchers studied how the brain encodes complex odors like cigarette smoke using mouse models. They found that both odorant receptors (ORs) and trace-amine associated receptors (TAARs) contribute to this process, with 1-pentanethiol being a key component.

Keywords:

GPCR olfaction perception physiology sensory smoking

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Last Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System

Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System

Published on: October 22, 2020

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

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

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Published on: September 18, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Olfactory receptor research
Chemosensation

Background:

Odor perception relies on combinatorial codes from odorant receptors (ORs) and trace-amine associated receptors (TAARs).
Understanding how complex odors, like cigarette smoke, activate these receptors in vivo is crucial for deciphering olfactory coding.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the in vivo receptor response patterns to cigarette smoke and its components.
To determine the roles of ORs and TAARs in encoding complex odors.

Main Methods:

Measured in vivo responses of ORs and TAARs in mice exposed to cigarette smoke and 1-pentanethiol.
Analyzed receptor response patterns to identify key odorants and their contribution to the overall code.

Main Results:

Cigarette smoke activated 144 ORs and 3 TAARs in mice, representing the first simultaneous in vivo measurement for both receptor types.
A simplified mimic of cigarette smoke odor, containing 1-pentanethiol, elicited similar OR response patterns.
1-pentanethiol was identified by humans as critical for the mimic's perception and activated a subset of ORs also responsive to cigarette smoke.

Conclusions:

Complex odor encoding involves broad patterns across ORs and TAARs, demonstrating an enriched signal through both receptor families.
1-pentanethiol is a significant component of cigarette smoke odor, contributing to its specific receptor activation pattern.