Olfaction And Taste

Nasal Cavity

• made of several different bones

• main functions are to filter, warm, and humidify the air we breathe, protecting the respiratory system, while also housing the receptors for our sense of smell (olfaction), contributing to voice resonance, and providing some immune defense

Hard palate

bottom of nasal cavity

separates nasal cavity from oral cavity and mouth

Frontal bone

skull bone that covers forehead

Ethmoid bone

• filled with lots of tiny holes called foramina

ridges along side of nasal cavity

help swirl air around

Cribiform plate

• area of ethmoid bone that is thin

• holes allow nervous signals to move from nasal to cranial cavity

Olfactory bulb

where fibers of olfactory nerve synapse with second neuron in the system

olfactory tract

• bundles of axons part of PNS, connects to brain