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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...

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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Olfactory Assays for Mouse Models of Neurodegenerative Disease

Olfactory Assays for Mouse Models of Neurodegenerative Disease

Published on: August 25, 2014

A Novel Application-Based Test for Rapid Screening of Olfactory Dysfunction.

Benjamin J Bernard¹, Omer Baker², Alena Pauley²

¹Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla.

JAMA Otolaryngology-- Head & Neck Surgery

|January 8, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new mobile app effectively screens for olfactory dysfunction (OD), a common condition. This tool is rapid, reliable, and correlates with existing smell tests for clinical use.

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Area of Science:

Neurology
Otolaryngology
Medical Diagnostics

Background:

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is prevalent and often underdiagnosed, posing risks for morbidity and mortality.
Current smell tests are often expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to scale.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the diagnostic performance of a novel, self-administered mobile application-based olfactory screening tool.

Main Methods:

A diagnostic study involving 484 English-speaking adults (≥18 years) at a US academic medical center.
Participants completed a 5-item mobile app smell identification test; a subset also underwent a comparator test.

Main Results:

The novel test demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy with an Area Under the Curve of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78-0.96).
Sensitivity was 74% (95% CI, 51%-88%) and specificity was 86% (95% CI, 72%-93%) at a cut-off of <3.
Test scores correlated well with a comparator test (r=0.74) and subjective smell perception (r=0.34), showing acceptable internal consistency.

Conclusions:

The mobile application-based olfactory screening tool is a rapid, reliable method for detecting OD.
The tool shows potential for widespread clinical use and longitudinal monitoring of olfactory function.