Olfactory system

A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the nose for respiration. Where the nostrils pass through the nasal cavity they widen, are known as nasal fossae, and contain turbinates and olfactory mucosa. The nasal cavity also connects to the paranasal sinuses (dead-end air cavities for pressure buffering and humidification). From the nasal cavity, the nostrils continue into the pharynx, a switch track

American biologist

American molecular biologist

large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face

Anosmia, also known as smell blindness, is the lack of ability to detect one or more smells. Anosmia may be temporary or permanent. It differs from hyposmia, which is a decreased sensitivity to some or all smells.

second pair of cranial nerves that transmit sense of smell from olfactory epithelium to the brain

smell sense organ in the nasal septum of the nasal cavity just above the roof of the mouth

part of the sensory system used for smelling

neural structure of the vertebrate forebrain involved in olfaction, which sends olfactory information to be further processed in the amygdala, the orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus where it plays a role in emotion, memory and learning

feature of the face

behavior in which an animal curls back its upper lip exposing its front teeth

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In animal anatomy, the rhinencephalon (from the Greek, ῥίς, rhis = "nose", and ἐγκέφαλος, enkephalos = "brain"), also called the smell-brain or olfactory brain, is a part of the brain involved with smell (i.e. olfaction). It forms the paleocortex in the human brain.

specialized tissue in the nasal cavity that detects odors

Phantosmia (phantom smell), also called an olfactory hallucination or a phantom odor, is smelling an odor that is not actually there. It can occur in one nostril or both. Unpleasant phantosmia, also called cacosmia, is more common and is often described as smelling something that is burned, foul, spoiled, or rotten. Experiencing occasional phantom smells is normal and usually goes away on its own in time. When hallucinations of this type do not improve on their own or when they keep coming back, it can be very upsetting and can disrupt an individual's quality of life.

transduction cell within the olfactory system

Dysosmia is a disorder described as any qualitative alteration or distortion of the perception of smell. Qualitative alterations differ from quantitative alterations, which include anosmia and hyposmia. Dysosmia can be classified as either parosmia (also called troposmia) or phantosmia. Parosmia is a distortion in the perception of an odorant. Odorants smell different from what one remembers. Phantosmia is the perception of an odor when no odorant is present. The cause of dysosmia still remains a theory. It is typically considered a neurological disorder and clinical associations with the diso

brain region relating to olfactory function

cell type

type of organ

Protein- and mucus-secreting glands in the olfactory mucosa

area at the bottom of the forebrain

Portion of the forebrain of vertebrates

class of olfactory receptors

Structural and metabolic support cell

part of the olfactory system

complex group of fibers in the brain arising from the basal olfactory regions, the periamygdaloid region and the septal nuclei

portion of the nasal mucosa containing the sensory nerve endings for smell