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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...

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...

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.
The olfactory...

Introduction to Sensory Receptors

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Sensory receptors are vital in our ability to perceive and interpret the world. Sensory receptors are specialized cells in the peripheral nervous system that respond to various stimuli and enable one to experience different sensations. Based on specific criteria, sensory receptors are classified into distinct types.
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G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

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GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
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The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Published on: June 5, 2017

Olfactory receptor neurons generate multiple response motifs, increasing coding space dimensionality.

Brian Kim^1,2, Seth Haney³, Ana P Milan⁴

¹Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, United States.

|January 31, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Locust olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) use distinct firing patterns called motifs to encode smells. This motif switching and adaptation enhance odor classification and navigation in complex environments.

Keywords:

Schistocerca americana combinatorial computational modeling information neuroscience odor sensory encoding

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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: Aug 12, 2025

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Published on: June 5, 2017

High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity

High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity

Published on: June 2, 2014

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

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Olfactory System Research
Computational Biology

Background:

Olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) are crucial for detecting odors via action potentials.
Understanding how ORNs encode olfactory information is key to deciphering sensory processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the response patterns of locust ORNs to odor stimulation.
To explore the phenomenon of motif switching and sensory adaptation in ORNs.
To model the computational benefits of these response features for odor perception and navigation.

Main Methods:

In vivo electrophysiological recordings from locust ORNs.
Analysis of odor-elicited firing patterns and their temporal profiles.
Development of a computational model constrained by experimental data.

Main Results:

Identified four distinct response motifs in locust ORNs.
Observed that different odorants can elicit different motifs from the same ORN (motif switching).
Demonstrated that each motif exhibits unique sensory adaptation patterns.
Computational model showed benefits for odor classification and plume processing.

Conclusions:

Multiple response motifs and motif switching significantly enhance odor classification by increasing coding dimensionality.
These ORN response features are vital for processing complex odor plumes and olfactory navigation.
The findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying olfactory perception and spatial orientation.