Olfaction

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to olfaction, including physiological and neurophysiological aspects.

Olfaction

The sense of smell.

Orthonasal olfaction

The process where odorant molecules travel through the nostrils to the olfactory epithelium.

Retronasal olfaction

The process where odorant molecules travel from food in the mouth to the olfactory epithelium.

Gustation

The sense of taste.

Odorant

A molecule capable of being translated into the perception of smell.

Volatile

Able to float through the air; a characteristic necessary for odorants.

Hydrophobic

Repellent to water; a key physiochemical characteristic of odorants.

Olfactory epithelium

A mucous membrane in the nasal cavity that detects odorants.

Anosmia

The total absence of a sense of smell, often called 'smell blindness'.

Olfactory receptor (OR)

The region on the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons where odorant molecules bind.

Cilia

Hairlike protrusions on olfactory sensory neurons that contain olfactory receptors.

Olfactory bulb

The first stop for olfactory information in the brain.

Glomeruli

Where incoming axons of the olfactory sensory neurons meet and are processed.

Primary olfactory cortex

The neural area where olfactory information is first processed.

Shape-pattern theory

Theory suggesting that different scents activate different arrays of olfactory receptors.

Vibration theory

Theory suggesting that every perceived smell has a different vibrational frequency based on molecular structure.

Granular cells

Neurons in the olfactory bulb that act as feature detectors for patterns of cell types and odorants.

Orbitofrontal cortex

Area of the brain involved in the conscious experience of olfaction.

Trigeminal nerve

Cranial nerve that transmits sensations such as the cooling feeling of menthol.

Basal cells

Precursor cells to olfactory sensory neurons that can regenerate these neurons.